Auto Correct
by C.S. Isui
Summary: Haruno Sakura was accepted as the secretary of one of the biggest business mogul in the Land of Fire, Uchiha Sasuke. All was going well and her salary was getting her through med school until she sends an auto-corrected message. One that might cost her her job and her love life! Rewrite done! New content from here!
1. Chapter 1: The Application

**Alright guys, this is the edited version of Chapter 1. Not much changed really, but the few sentences I added means a lot to the story's development. I hope you guys won't stop reading my story.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT HOLD RIGHTS TO NARUTO AND ITS RELATED CHARACTERS FOUND ON THE GAME, ANIME, MANGA AND LIGHT NOVELS**

 **Please favorite and review!**

* * *

"As I recall, Madame HR, I am a student of medicine. I am to be a doctor, not a secretary. "A pink haired girl in a maroon blazer fumed as she pointed at the College of Medicine crest on her uniform. The lady she was talking to, a woman in her late 40's looked at her and sighed. "Sakura, I know you don't like secretarial jobs but it's the only opening I have to offer you. " Haruno Sakura, candidate for Summa Cum Laude at the Konoha School of Arts and Sciences sighed. "Ringo-sensei, I punched the last person I was secretary to because he was a gigantic pervert. Im supposed to be banned from secretarial jobs because of that. Im grateful that the school's working student plan is helping me with my graduation fees but really, a secretarial job for a violent girl like me?"

"I know, Sak. Besides, I can assure you, the guy you'll be working for is far too high-class to even glance at who is working for him."

Sakura glanced at the paper being handed to her by the HR lady and her eyes widened with disbelief.

"UCHIHA SASUKE? I'll be working for THE Uchiha Sasuke of the Uchiha Group?" she shout-whispered. The Uchiha group was a big name in Konoha. Everyone knew its products and most especially the two brothers who shared the company's power. Sakura stared at the name on the paper, he lips quivering with an emotion she can't quite place. Ringo just chuckled at the sight of the girl. "Apparently his brother, Uchiha Itachi enrolled his little brother into the company's sponsorship program and you're the only person on our Student Assistance program who fits the work description. We're actually quite lucky, the email said we were specifically chosen because of Tsunade-sama."

Sakura continued to stare at the job requirements, thinking what will happen if she considered the job.

 _ **Uchiha Sasuke  
**_ _ **CEO for Internal Affairs  
**_ _ **Requirements for Personal Secretary**_

 _No grade below 95%_

 _No delinquency record since enrollment_

 _No criminal record whatsoever_

 _Excellent Medical and Dental condition_

 _Prepared for all nighters and working weekends_

 _Willing to work at Uchiha Tower, possibly spend 70% of their personal time in-house_

 _Can dedicate 90% of their personal time to the company_

 _**Letter of Recommendation from the Headmistress and Student Affairs Officer required_

Sakura glanced over to Ringo and then back to the paper. "Isnt this a bit too demanding?" she asked. "Well, I think he made it like that to avoid incompetency. And the pay is very very very good. 70,000ryo is highly unreasonable for a secretarial job but that's what they offered."

Sakura weighed her options. Something told her she should take the job. "Still though, why would a CEO want a student as a personal secretary?" she said. "Apparently, Uchiha Itachi wanted his little brother to mingle around his age range, or at least that's what Tsunade-sama wrote on her email. From what I heard, the young CEO barely leaves the office."

70,000ryo was no small amount and with just one pay-out she can pay for all her graduation fees and have some left to buy her a laptop with much better specs; but the time it demands might interfere with her OJT at Konoha Medical.

As a scholar she knew this was her big chance to earn money for her planned Toxicology masteral she plans to take in Sunagakure under the Venerated Chiyo. And knowing her mentor, Senju Tsunade, the headmistress of Konoha School and Director of Konoha Med, the Princess of Senju Capital, will most likely push her to take the job. As a daughter, she was basically doted over by her parents and although she does her house chores and contributes to the monthly house fees, her parents will most likely tell her to do what she must and focus on the more important things. Besides, her inner voice told her this might begin something new, something that might bring something good.

"Alright, Ringo-sensei. I'll take it. "she said grabbing the application form.

* * *

Sakura stood in front of the Uchiha Tower in the frigid cold. Her interview was at 9:00am sharp but she always opted to be early so she went there an hour before but she wasn't sure if she was too early. "Dammit! I should have worn an extra pair of pants underneath my slacks!" she said as she rubbed her hands together

"Young lady, what do you think you are doing there, shivering like a rabbit? Come inside, will you? It's warmer." A man wearing a handsome black tailored suit and red tie opened the door for her. Flattered by his gentlemanly demeanor, Sakura's cheeks grew slightly redder as she nodded in thanks. He looked familiar, like someone she'd seen before.

"But, no. It can't be." she told herself. "If it was him, he'd recognize me."

"What brings you so early here?" he asked as they walked the gigantic black marble lobby floor. Sakura sighed a bit louder than she intended to. "I'm supposed to have an interview today. You see, sir, my name is Haruno Sakura from Konoha School of Arts and Sciences-"

"Ah. You're the girl Tsunade-sama recommended. I suggest you wait by the lobby. Someone will attend to you soon. I hope to see more of you, Haruno-san. It's people like you that we need in the company."

The smartly dressed man walked away with a knowing smirk on his face. Sakura watched as he walked up the lobby's great escalator and disappearing from sight. Once the man was gone, she looked around the building lobby from the high glass paneling and the crystal chandelier that hung at the ceiling to the black and silver themed lobby couches. "Maybe this was not a good idea after all."She said as she fidgeted her fingers. "Still, 70,000ryo for a secretarial job offered to a student." She muttered to herself. It wasn't really a small thing. In fact, it was a giant thing. If she got the job, she'd receive an amount nearing $4500. Her future depended on it and she had sworn to herself before that she can't be weak-willed anymore.

* * *

"Ms. Haruno, I presume?"

It has only been around 30 minutes since the moment Sakura entered, when a sharply dressed lady walked up to her. She had striking red hair and deep vermillion eyes. "Yes." The pinkette answered while standing up. "Alright, Your interview will be in conference room 7. I'll take you there. Your resume and application form please?"

Sakura fumbled her weathered leather case and took out a folder. "Here."

"Thank you."

The red-head lady kept silent as they went to the elevator. When they got inside, it became a rather different story.

"If you must know, the job you're applying for is a very demanding job." she began. "And seeing as you're a medical student, it might become taxing for you. Sasu–" ahem "– Uchiha-sama doesn't care for slackers and second-rate employees."

Sakura cannot weigh out whether the lady was being inconsiderate or what, but decided to respond politely to hide her annoyance.

"Thank you for being considerate, ma'am. But I was fully aware of the weight of the job when I applied for it. Still, thank you for the heads up. Ill be more than grateful if you will share me some advice, once I am hired."

Take note she used the word 'once' rather than 'if' showing her confidence on getting hired. The red lady only humped and continued reading Sakura's resume for the nth time; this time, choosing to be much more quiet and less conversational.

* * *

 **Aaaaaand that's a wrap! If anyone reread this and noticed the changes, can you guys make a review? I would appreciate the criticism.**

 **Thanks a bunch!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Interview

**This is the edited version of Chapter 2. Again, I hope you guys like this version better and please tell me what you think!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I HOLD NO RIGHTS OVER NARUTO AND ITS RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS**

 **Please remember to favorite and review!**

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was being a brat, in Itachi's opinion. His little brother was in such a foul mood that morning that he had a second batch of brewed coffee be brought to the conference room.

"Nii-san, I am handling my affairs perfectly." Sasuke said as he downed his cup of espresso. "And shouldn't the HR be in charge of interviewing the applicants? I have a meeting with Scorpion today."

Sasuke was not the type who handles failure well. He can work well with people but he has high standards. Employees who can't do their job well aren't tolerated and right now, he feels like Itachi's idea might lead to disaster. Failure was never an option, it never should be.

"Good morning Itachi-sama, Sasuke-k" -ahem- "..Sasuke-sama. We have the applicant outside the door."

Itachi and Sasuke turned their heads over to the door and Karin, the Head of Human Resources walked in with a single folder in her arms. Itachi smiled warmly towards the girl. Karin was about the same age as Sasuke and was a fine graduate of Otogakure Institute. She had been taken her OJT here and was absorbed by the company for her hard work and has risen in ranks since then. She also has a very very obvious crush on the younger Uchiha.

"Applicant?" said Sasuke as he poured himself another cup of the freshly brewed coffee.

"Yes; she's some girl from Konoha School. Here are her credentials and she's currently outside."

Karin handed him the folder and reviewed the contents of the folder. Sasuke's eyes grew wide for a millisecond before moving quickly as he read through the file. "A medical student? Karin, are you sure this girl was aware of the responsibilities of this job?" A smirk appeared on the girl's face. "She said she was. Shall I tell her wait for your call instead?"

Itachi chuckled. He noticed Sasuke's face falter for a minute; he knew the exact reason why and his expectations were met. "Why don't we give her a chance instead." he egged on, earning him a well-aimed glared from his brother. "I'd like you to call her in please, Karin." Bowing but clearly annoyed, Karin proceeded to the door and called in the waiting girl.

Sakura entered with poise that mixed confidence with awkwardness and Itachi found it endearing. She wore a button-down maroon blouse tucked neatly in a pair of slacks while her pink hair was kept in place with a simple hair clip.

"Good morning, Haruno-san. I'm glad to see that you're no longer shivering cold."

A soft pink blush erupted from the girl's cheeks as she smiled. "Thank you sir." she replied as she took the seat being gestured by Itachi.

Sasuke looked at the girl from head to toe. She wasn't too shabby and acted professional enough to tolerate. Her hair, however, is a bit of an overstatement; too loud for Sasuke's tastes and a bit too familiar. He hated it but he continued to observe the girl, looking for clues that may prove his suspicions wrong. As Itachi threw questions as her the girl gives clever and witty answers and obviously wears her heart on her sleeve.

"Funny how fate treats me as a joke." he thought.

Sasuke then decided to be more focused on her credentials. Her grades were simply topnotch, her student record is spotless and her current demeanor was very professional. Having a person of this organization and caliber would definitely will practically make his job easier, but if his suspicions were correct, his life harder. Swallowing hard, he decided to shove his life aside and remained focused on his job; after all, everything he has worked for is more important than some girl.

"How do you plan on balancing this job with school?" he suddenly asked. Itachi chuckled. "Nice of you to join us, otouto." he joked. Sasuke ignored him and turned his attention to the girl.

"Well?"

"To be honest, Uchiha-sama, it would most definitely be difficult." The way she addressed him gave Sasuke a sharp sensation that he hasn't felt in a long time. He looked at her as her green eyes looked sharply at him; her intent, focused on her job application. "However," she continued, "as I am on my final year in school, my day would mostly consist of my OJT at Konoha General and 3 courses for my program. I have included my schedule within that file." she said. Itachi took the folder from Sasuke and saw the her schedule.

"Advanced Toxicology V and Introduction to Neuropsychology on Mondays and Wednesdays, Research IV on Thursday mornings and 7 hours OJT Tuesdays and 8 hours on Saturdays. Not that much of a hectic schedule." he said. "And just out of curiosity, toxicology is about poisons and toxins, right? Shouldn't that be taken earlier? Same goes for your Introduction to Neuropsychology "

Sakura looked sheepish as she gave a small smile. "I decided to take an advanced course. Toxicology 5 is a subject reserved for doctors taking specializations in Genetics. My neuropsych intro is also for another specialization."

"Two specializations? Does this girl have a life?" Sasuke thought. If she didn't take these advanced courses, she would have graduated early. This Haruno girl has guts and ambition.

"What do you think this job covers, Haruno-san? The Uchiha Corp covers not only airlines, publishing, pharma and communications but also the development and research of advanced weapon and defense tech." Sakura now had Sasuke's undivided attention. His eyes looked cold as they looked eye-to-eye. "The job I'm applying for is to be the personal secretary of Uchiha Sasuke. To be a personal secretary means to organize and manage the meetings, paperworks and appointments her boss needs to attend to. It doesn't really require expertise on the line of businesses the company caters but rather it requires the expertise to attend to managing the company itself. If any, this job requires me to have a background in business management and corporate law."

Itachi looked at his brother who seemed interested enough to listen. She answered correctly, of course. He expected nothing less.

"I'd say she's hired, otouto." he said. His brother looked at him while their HR head had to stop herself from standing up in protest. "She meets all your qualifications and I think she has enough discipline needed for the job."

"REALLY?!" Sakura suddenly shot right up, making the elder Uchiha chuckle. The pinkette bit her lips and slowly sat down, embarrassed by her suddenly loss of composure. She had been worried the whole day. This job would have saved her a ton.

Sasuke looked first at Sakura, who then blushed when their eyes met; then he looked at his brother. She could be a great asset and he can see why she needs the job, but for some reason, Itachi's eyes on him just screams an ulterior motive. Sasuke secretly hopes it's not what he thinks this is, but at the same time, he hopes it is.

"Suit yourself, nii-san." he said coldly.

* * *

Itachi and Karin left the conference room but Sasuke and Sakura stayed behind.

"Thank you for hiring me, Uchiha-sama." she said, bowing down. "It really means a lot." she said.

Why did she have to speak to him now? Why did she come now?

"You're annoying." he said coldly as he walked out the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

 **Please tell me what you guys think!**

 **Love lots**


	3. Chapter 3: Start

**Ooookay, this one has a whooooole lot more added to it. I wanted you guys to see more into Sakura's 1st day.**

 **Also, I got some anon reviews. To the anon who was disappointed that I am fixing my fic, I'm sorry. As an amateur, I want to fix the inconsistencies of my stories so I can become better, even if it means putting the updates on hold. I hope you'd still read the new version though. After all, we have new material included within the chapters. To the anon who looked into the changes as something positive, thank you! I appreciate the support!**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys will enjoy this updated chapter!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I HOLD NO RIGHTS OVER NARUTO AND ITS RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS**

 **Please remember to favorite and review!**

* * *

Sakura's first day began immediately the next day. Luckily, her OJT doesn't start until later in the evening. When she left Uchiha tower after her interview, an obviously pissed off HR head roughly handed her the paperwork requirements like her tax number and social security information. She didn't have any trouble finding them, of course. Sakura had them ready the moment she signed the application form.

As usual, her day started of with the usual cup of peach tea before preparing for her 1st day.

"You're already pretty." her mom said as she stood from Sakura's open bedroom door. "Do you think he recognized me, mom?" Sakura looked as she set down her hair brush. Haruno Mebuki looked at her daughter as the girl sighed. It has been almost 12 years but it seemed, for her daughter, the wounds are still fresh.  
"Do you want him to?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Then be brave, my girl. If he recognizes you, show him that you're a better version of yourself, that you grew up. If not, then you've got nothing to lose."

Sakura smiled and hugged her mom. "I'll be off then."

It didn't snow during the night and the snow from yesterday has slightly melted. It wasn't warm, but at least it wasn't frigid cold. Sakura was thankful, she loved winter but she hated the cold weather. Donning her favorite maroon coat, she began her trip to her new office.

"Erm, I'm here for orientation?" She said to the front desk when she arrived. The clerk was a white-haired guy. He decorated his desk with miniature samurai figurines and Starbucks tumblers and seems to be preoccupied with a gaming app.

"ID please?" He said, not even looking up.

Sakura fumbled with her wallet and handed him with her identification card.

"Haruno Sakura..." The guy said, barely taking his eyes from his phone. "Haruno Saku-!" He suddenly stands up and makes a swift bow.

"Please don't report me to Sasuke." He said. Sakura gave a light giggle and smiled.

"Why should I?"

"He already gave me a death threat if he ever found me playing Feudal Clash during shift. That bastard has no sense of fun." He said, not even looking up. He heard the pink-haired girl sigh.

"Well, it's only my orientation today, so I guess I can still let you off the hook." She said. The clerk suddenly stood up and had a full view of whom he was talking to.

The newest addition in his boss list was wearing a dark blue dress and a white cardigan. Her face was highlighted with very light makeup and her pink hair was tied to a neat bun. She carried a weathered leather case and a fur-lined maroon coat. He looked down and saw that she wore black thermal stockings and cute black booties.

"Hey, by the way," he said, his voice taking on a flirty tone. "Name's Suigetsu." He said, with his eyebrows doing the up-and-down gesture.

Sakura looked at him as if to say 'dude, you're either weird or high or both.' She smiled awkwardly then pointed at the gold wristwatch she wore as if to remind Suigetsu that there are more important things to handle.

"Oh. Right. Orientation with the Ice Prince."

He fumbled around the files on his desk and handed Sakura an envelope.

"Alright. First, you need to hand over your requirements. Karin will have my head if I forget them. Next, that envelope contains your welcoming committee. The employee handbook is there along with your secretarial tool manual, a gift cert and a few other stuff that's not really important. And finally, Sasuke is expecting you at Penthouse 1, that's his hideout. Take the escalator to the second floor and turn right. Go straight until you reach the end of the corridor and turn left. The penthouse elevator will be there, press 1 and it will go straight up."

"Why not just take the normal elevator?" She asked pointing to the elevators at the far end of the lobby.

"Those elevators only reach until the 50th floors. The executive elevators are reserved for the board and the cover 51st to the 55th and the penthouse elevators are only to be used by the main Uchiha family, then there's you, and a few other individuals. Kinda stuck-up, I know. But when big-man Fugaku ran the joint, things were very chaotic and they figured a separate elevator would work better. Anyways, you better go. The Ice Prince doesn't like late people."

"Oh. Well then I guess I better be in my way then."

"See you Princess. Don't let the Ice Prince get ya!"

Sakura nodded and waved goodbye to Suigetsu.

Its technically her first day at work and things seem to be going good, even though it's quite weird. She checked her phone for texts or calls then she checked her watch. Her orientation was scheduled at 9am again. She was to be given her fixed schedule after orientation.

* * *

The second floor was filled with offices. Through the glass paneling, she gets a glimpse of rows and rows of stations filled with people typing away and supervisors carrying tons of folders as they walked around. Everything was so busy and hectic. Then when she reached the part where she needs to turn left, it was like a different place. It was a corridor with dark blue carpeted walls and the silver elevator embossed with the Uchiha family crest. None of the sounds from bustle of the offices she just saw reached the elevator room.

"Here we go" Sakura muttered.

When she entered the elevator, she realized it was a glass elevator that slowly gave the view of Uchiha Corp Park. Sakura saw the frozen pond that artistically acted as a modern moat for the building, she saw the elegant pine trees that graces the gardens and the barren branches of summer trees that gave the final touches of the winter landscape. If it was that beautiful during the winter, Sakura wondered how facinating the scene would be in spring.

Sadly the elevator ride was a quick one. But she knows she'll get used to a view like that.

"Good morning Haruno-sama." A man greeted her when the elevator doors opened. It was a big guy with orange-yellowing hair. He had a calm look in his face and a hand that held out.

"I'll take your coat." He offered.

"Why, thank you, mr?." She replied, giving the man a smile.

"You may call me Juugo."

"Then you may call me Sakura. No need to be so formal. I'm just new here." She smiled.

"He's just showing the respect to a CEO's personal secretary." Snapped an voice. "From here on, you're working under me, directly. That means when they address you, they so much as addresses me. I suggest you act the way you should, Haruno-san."

Sakura looked up and saw her boss standing at a nearby decorative table and realized how marvelous the office was. The floor had midnight blue carpets, the walls had silver framed paintings and family portraits and the glass paneling that faced Hokage mountain. It was a stunning sight. She also noticed how stunning her young boss looked in a dark gray suit and a dark blue tie.

"Are you finished gawking?" Her boss's voice rang again, making her blush red from embarrassment.

"Sorry. It's just that the view is so spectacular!"

"It rubs off when you work here everyday. Besides there are more important matters to be focused on, instead of a constant scenery that barely means anything."

Sasuke walked away, proceeding to the door found at the far end of the corridor.

Juugo took Sakura's coat and she proceeded to follow her boss. She was hurt that he spoke to her that way. Sure, a view like this will eventually lose its punchline, but it doesn't necessarily mean nothing and appreciating it is not something to be angry about.

"I'm not gonna explain to you what the employee handbook says. It's your responsibility to learn it. You're already aware of your job and responsibilities since it was laid out to you by Karin yesterday."

" _She actually left that part out"_ Sakura thought.

She looked at her boss as he scowled at her while he held the door open for her. "I don't have all day." he snapped as Sakura slipped passed the door. "Even though it's your first day, don't expect me to take it easy it. We have a busy day ahead and we can't afford to lose a single second. Don't hold me back." Her boss might be really really attractive but he acts like the whole world was beneath him. Sakura didn't like it one bit.

"I have to meet someone from Uchiwa Air at 10 and then someone for pharma at 11:30 so be sure to call facilities to prepare conference 7. Remind me to call Akasuna Sasori at 12. Make sure to make 1PM reservations at Akimichi's; get my usual order - since you don't know what that is, it's the A4 wagyu steak with tomato aioli and the fennel and caviar salad. Someone from Scorpion Corporation will be joining us and I expect it's Akasuna's secretary, Kuro Hana, get her the lobster. You can order anything you want -"

Sakura immediately took her out her phone when he started talking about the day's itinerary and typed everything her boss said until she noticed him stop.

"Is that a iPhone 4?" he said. Sakura didn't like his tone.

"Yes. And it works just fine, Thank you very much."

"We'll have to have that upgraded. Now. The specs of an iPhone 4 cannot catch up with your job. You also need to have a tablet and an laptop. I cannot have you mess up and blame technology. Call Taka and have them send up an iPhone 7 and the HP Elitebook convertible ASAP. Tell them to have the essentials already installed, including the new employee app. We need to fix your incompetence."

A vein popped on Sakura's head. She knows she needs to respect her boss but insulting her and offering to upgrade her tech in the same dialogue is just too much, it could be a talent.

"You don't go out much, do you?" She suddenly asked as she Sasuke looked back at her and looked at her as if she was the stupidest person on earth.

"Haruno-san,-"

"Sakura will be fine, sir."

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. Is she talking back at him? Doesn't she know he can fire her then and there? At the very spot? He mentally pinched his nose and humored her.

"Sakura, then. I am running a company here. As CEO of internal affairs, I have a lot to do. I don't not have time to go out."

"Ok then." she said before looking into the directory to make the calls.

Sakura's new toys arrived about 2 hours later. Her new phone was the rose gold iPhone 7 and her new laptop was one of the best in the market.  
"If I see so much as a single damage to those, you'll be paying for them." Sasuke said. Luckily, the gadgets arrived just in time for the meeting with Uchiwa Air and Sakura knew the poor intern who brought them would have had one hell of a scolding if it arrived any later. While Sakura utilized the apps of her new phone, she and Sasuke walked briskly to conference 7, the same room where she was interviewed. From the outside, a lady's voice could be heard screeching and Sasuke can only pinch his nose before going inside the room.

* * *

"I think that went well." Sakura said as she typed the minutes of the meeting. The screeching lady, who happened to be a flight stewardess, was threatening to sue Uchiha Corp because she had this absurd claim that someone from the Uchiha family sexually assaulted her. A pretty but very dangerous woman called Izumi shut her down though. Next came a couple of chemists, who made a presentation about an herb-based food supplement they have created. They were hoping to sell the supplement under the Kotoamatsukami brand but Sakura, who can't help but butt-in, slammed one of the chemists who claimed miura pauma was a newly discovered miracle herb.

"I still can't believe he was trying to sell us cheap herbal viagra." Sakura said as Sasuke remained quiet. He was trying to process the events that happened during the meetings he just had but he can't help but feel amazed and proud at how Sakura managed to find flaws in a veteran chemist's presentation. The chemist may have been a con but he had quite a tenure to his name. Luckily, this little pink-haired girl has more brains. The young Uchiha couldn't help but smile.

"HA! So you can smile!"

Sasuke frowned and glared at his secretary.

"Tch, guess that smile was only a muscle spasm, huh? Too bad. It looked nice on you."

Sasuke chose to ignore Sakura's comment and rolled his eyes; making her chuckle softly. After finishing up the last sentences to the minutes, Sasuke and Sakura were just about ready to leave the conference room when the intercom rang.

"Conference room 7, Haruno Sakura speaking." the pinkette said as she routed the call to the conference room flatscreen. Itachi's image suddenly showed and behind him was quite a crowd of people.  
"Nii-san, what is this?" Sasuke asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"Ah! Sasuke! What a surprise!"

"You knew I was going to be here nii-san. Stop acting surprised."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the exchange.

"You hurt me. Anyways, I was just gonna tell you guys that we need to introduce Sakura to the board and the committee members by this afternoon over coffee. Does Penthouse 3 by 3pm sound good?"  
Sasuke looked at Sakura who was already looking into the day's itinerary - something that had expanded over the course of the two meetings that just took place.  
"3pm is good. But you have a 4pm schedule with Uchiha Izumi-sama and Terunori Shou-sama regarding Kobayashi-san's harassment complaint."  
"That would be not problem. Both will be showing up for coffee." Itachi answered for Sasuke. The little brother sighed as he nodded. The call ended after.  
"Its almost 12 noon, by the way." Sakura reminded Sasuke. "I guess that kerfuffle I caused got us out of schedule. I'm sorry. Shall I call Scorpion?" she said, showing the phone number already dialed. Sasuke nodded and she followed by routing the call to her boss.

They stayed at the conference room during the course of Sasuke's call. Getting bored, Sakura decided to go about her new phone when her employee app showed a new message.

 **S. Hozuki: Hey Princess, how's the first day?**

Sakura smiled. It seems she already made a new friend.

 **S. Haruno: Its ok, I guess. Thanks for checking up on me.**

 **S. Hozuki: Is the Ice Prince treating you well or must your knight in shining armour (aka me) save you?**

 **S. Haruno: I can manage ;) Im no dansel in distress**

 **S. Haruno: *damsel. Sorry about that.. haha**

 **S. Hozuki: Hahahahaha. Just turn the autocorrect on. Anyways have fun on your first day!**

"Anything funny?" an obviously annoyed Sasuke said. He had a mean scowl on his face that can scare away children and puppies.  
Sakura looked up, not realizing that she's been giggling. "Sorry. I just made a new friend. That's all. Why do you need to be so worked up?"  
"Because my secretary is slacking. That's why."  
"I'm sorry. Anyways, how was the call? Should I have a car ready to take us to Akimichi's?"  
Sasuke gave a frustrated sigh. "The rescheduled the meeting for this Friday at 9am. Have that as a schedule priority. But keep the reservation. We might as well have lunch and not waste food."

* * *

Akimichi's was a very posh place. It has a modern look that utilizes a red and brown minimalist design. The walls were lined with artistically arraigned wood carvings, marble carvings and clay sculptures that accentuated each other. The lights were a relaxing shade of orange that shone from simple square-shaped lanterns that hung above every table, giving the whole place an ambiance of calm. The chairs and couches were lined with red-dyed leather while the tables were fragrant cedar that highlights the fantastic mouth-watering smell of the place.

"I feel under-dressed." Sakura said as she and Sasuke entered the establishment. A valet took their coats and a server was already waiting for them to arrive.  
"Right this way, Uchiha-sama." the server said, clearly ignoring Sakura. Rolling her eyes at the server who seemed keen in pleasing her boss. She followed quietly and was preparing to sit at the table they had reserved when the server stopped her.  
"Excuse me but this table is reserved under the Uchiha Corp name. Please wait by the valet to be seated."  
Sakura looked at the rude server with a raised eyebrow before looking at Sasuke.  
"She's with me." he said. The server then looked at Sakura who was smiling at her humorlessly. Her eyes looked from the pinkette's shoes to the arrangement of her hair before barely stifling a snort.  
"Pardon me, sir. I didn't realize this was a charity event. Shall I call down Akimichi-sama?"  
Sakura was about to answer the girl when Sasuke held up his hand to stop her. "Please do so. I would like to have a word with Chouji about how his staff mistook my personal secretary for a beggar."  
The server's eyes looked shocked before looking at Sakura again. "I-I-I'll look into it sir!" she said and bowed down towards Sakura "I am very sorry, miss." The server then rushed off, a panicked expression dominating her face.

"You didn't have to do that." Sakura said as she seated herself in front of Sasuke. "I can handle myself."  
"Radical actions need radical retaliations. Besides, you looked like you were about to go into scandalous rage. That's the last thing I need for Uchiha Corp."  
Sakura couldn't help but pout. Her boss is at it again - he defended her from a disrespectful server but managed to insult her too.

Soon after, an aging man came to the table holding a bottle of red wine. Judging by the way he was dressed, he was no ordinary server. "My name is Naoki Senzaemon. I will be your server for today instead" He opened the bottle and a strong aromatic smell of vintage red wafted into the air. "Our finest Cabernet Sauvignon, 1941. Courtesy of the Akimichi Family. Along with their sincerest apologies." he said. "And the previous server?" Sasuke asked. "Taken care of." came the simple answer. "Good."  
"The Hors d'oeuvre will arrive shortly. Please enjoy our house breads." the new server said before leaving.

"Erm," Sakura was unsure as to how to address her boss. She wanted to ask what happened to the rude server but this is the first private moment they've had since that morning and she's been addressing him as _'Uchiha-sama'_ during the meetings. However, she hesitates whether she should address him differently in private.

 _"I wonder if he'll remember me if I used that."_ she thought. He was looking intently at the graph on his tablet, showing no signs of interest in starting a conversation with her, or even acknowledge that she's on the table with him. Discouraged, Sakura looked down and decided to count the markings on the table instead.

"What is it?"

Sakura looked up, her eyes wide and her cheeks flaring red. "W-what?"

"You have stared at me for a good minute. What is it?"

"The server lady... Did she get...?"

"Fired? What do you think? I told you this morning. When people address you, they so much as addresses me. Get that to your head."

Sakura nodded, her blush not disappearing. They didn't speak again until the hors d'oeuvre arrived, which confused Sakura.

"Ano... I'm not sure if this is correct but the reservations I made were only for the entrees." she said pointing at the tomato and basil bruchetta and several types of charcuterie. "Senzaemon, tell Chouji his courtesies are appreciated."  
The old man nodded and winked at Sakura. "Please don't worry, miss." he said as he set a serving of bruchetta and some prosciutto on her plate before leaving.

Taking her cue from Sasuke who was already helping himself, Sakura took her first bite. She's been to classy restaurants before, especially on special occasions, so she assumed it would be similar to the ones she's had but when the juices of the tomato flowed into her mouth along with the crunch of the bread, her eyes simply lit up in delight. Her boss noticed this and he hid a pleased smirk as he took a sip of his wine.

"That was so good!" Sakura said, the glow in her eyes still shining as Senzaemon the server took the hors d'oeurves away. The old man simply smiled before placing the entrees. "Wagyu steak cooked medium rare with a side of fennel and caviar with a balsamic vinegar reduction dressing and tomato aioli for Uchiha Sasuke-sama and a short-rib ragu over pappardelle pasta for his lady."

 _"L-la-lady?!"_ Sakura thought, her blush coming back to her face. She looked at Sasuke, looking for a sign that might show his reaction to the server's words but he still looked more interested in the food than her. The pinkette looked at Senzaemon and the old man winked before bowing, telling the two to enjoy their meal. Sakura took a long whiff of her food and the intertwining aroma of slow cooked beef and basil filled her senses.

"Eat while it's still warm." she heard Sasuke say. He looked so elegant as she dressed a slice of his steak with the luscious looking aoili, like a artist finishing a sensual painting. He didn't even look up but Sakura smiled and then silently enjoyed her meal.

After a round of coffee for Sasuke and a sorbet for Sakura, Senzaemon saw the couple to the door where the Uchiha limo waited. Sakura waved goodbye to the old man and went into the car.

"Did you enjoy the food?" he boss asked as he looked out the window.

Sakura, who was responding to an email looked up and smiled. " I did. "

"Good. Congratulations on your first day."

The trip back to the office was quiet, but Sakura couldn't feel anything but the butterflies in her stomach.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-sama, Haruno-sama. Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"Thank you, Juugo-san! I did enjoy it!" Sakura answered as she handed Juugo her coat. "Did you have yours already?" she asked. The office butler just nodded and smiled. "I did. Thank you for asking."

"Sakura! Stop loitering." Sasuke said as he entered his office. Sakura hid her blush as she entered after him.

 _"Good. Congratulations on your first day."  
_

Why did he have to say that?! What does it mean? Does it mean what she thinks it means or is this who Sasuke is now? Something inside her eats her alive, itching to ask the question but fear stops her from asking.

"Finish the reports on the meetings from this morning. I want them on my table before we meet the board. Also, make sure to contact the Amaterasu on the new projects for solar energy. I need to go over it."

"Alright! Thanks again for the meal."

Sasuke saw Sakura's smile as she walked over to her part of his office. He could feel his heart rate go faster but with a subtle inhale-exhale, he fought down the blush that started to creep up to his face.

 _"Now is not the time. She'll be safer that way."_

* * *

Sakura was expecting to see gravely-dressed, stiff looking people all lined up at a table. Instead she got a rowdy bunch of people talking loudly as the scattered around an indoor garden.

Penthouse 3 is the highest point of Uchiha Tower. It has a towering glass dome and the whole floor was decorated with exotic plants and trees. An enormously elegant white gazebo stood in the middle of the garden and inside was a number of people.

"SAAAAAAAAASU-CHAAAAN! I MISSED YOUUUU!"

A little girl wearing faux cat ears and carrying a gigantic cat plushie ran towards Sasuke. Sakura couldn't help but hold a laugh as the girl practically tripped and fell over the feet of her well-poised boss.

"itaiiiii~" she said as Sasuke grabbed the back of her pink pullover. Tears were building over the corners of her eyes.

"Nana baa-chan, can you please stop doing that every time we meet? he said as he sternly lifted her small figure to eye-level. It was amazing to see him lift a person so effortlessly.

 _"Wait, did he just can her 'baa-chan?' Did I hear that right?"_

Sakura, who was standing behind Sasuke came into view, catching the attention of the small child-like woman.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH! KAWAII! SASU-CHAN IS SHE...?"

Sasuke set her down and the woman called Uchiha Nana walked over to Sakura. "Hello! I'm Sasu-chan auntie!"

Uchiha Nana stood about a foot smaller that Sakura. Her black hair was styled into pigtails and some faux fur cat ears. She was dressed in a pink pullover with a white collared shirt underneath, along with a matching black skirt. Sakura thought she could pass for a primary school student.

"It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-sama." she said.

"Ooooh, please call me Nanachi!" the small lady answered. "Your hair is really cute! Is that natural? If you die, can you bequeath your remaining hair to me?" she then said innocently, as if there was nothing disturbing over what she said. Sakura had to blink twice before she can answer. Luckily, Sasuke already picked up his aunt and told her off.

"That was freaky." Sakura said as she awkward touched her pink bangs. Sasuke sighed as they walked into the gazebo to join the only two people at the arranged tea setting: Itachi and the lady named Izumi.

"That was our aunt. She's the head of Uchiha Corp's Research Facilities all over the world. Nana baa-chan likes morbid researches and I think she's taken a liking to you." Itachi said as he spread cream cheese over the bagel he was worked half-way through.

"You'll get used to her." said the lady who sat beside Itachi. "I believe we haven't acquainted ourselves much during this morning's meeting. I'm Uchiha Izumi, I serve as the company's head corporate lawyer and Itachi's wife." she said before hugging a stiffened Sakura who was surprised from the sudden act of familiar affection. "You can call me Izumi, no need for formalities when it comes to me." she said with a smile then guided Sakura to the table and poured her a cup of tea.

"Thank you." Sakura said as she smiled sweetly. Sighing, Sasuke took the seat beside Sakura and poured himself a cup. Suddenly a man about the same age as Itachi suddenly grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, making him glare at the cup he gracefully saved from being toppled over.

"Shisui, you idiot." he said coldly.

"Still disrespectful and cold, I see?" he said rubbing Sasuke's head, "Hey, Itachi! Teach this kid how to be a person, will ya? He's like an ice-cube!"

Itachi chuckled and smiled. "Shisui, I'd like you to meet Haruno Sakura-san. Sasuke's brand new personal secretary."  
The man named Shisui had unkept hair and very long eyelashes. He looked wise for his age but he had a pleasant aura to him. "Hello." He said as he shook hands with her. "Shisui here is the President of Kotoamatsukami Pharmaceuticals."

"I hear you gave quite a performance over a meeting this morning. My secretary said you were smart." Shisui said as he took the seat beside the pinkette. "I didn't do much. I just pointed out the false info the chemist said."

"Yeah, but you did save us from accepting a counterfeit product. Its a shame really. I knew that man from his golden years. I guess he's fallen so low, he needed to cheat the only company who bothered to listen."

Shisui smiled before downing a glass of juice. "Sasuke, would you mind if I borrowed your secretary for a moment? I think she and I would have a lot to talk about. By the way, Obito is back in town. You know what that means right?"

Itachi and Sasuke gave each other identical looks. Sighing, the younger Uchiha nodded and Shisui stood and offered his hand to Sakura. The girl looked at her boss, as if to took for permission and in return, Sasuke just nodded. Sakura smiled in thanks and took Shisui's hand before getting swept into a conversation of pharmaceutical jargon.

"I think the two of you need to be alone." Izumi said as she realized the look Sasuke was giving his brother. Itachi smiled at his wife before nodding. The Uchiha lawyer approached Sakura and Shisui who were animatedly talking, leaving the brothers alone.

* * *

"Don't."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his brother. "What do you mean don't?"

"I know what you're thinking. If Obito is here, its most likely because of our upcoming partnership regarding the ISS. He is the one in charge of handling the weapons division on grandfather's behalf. It does not mean grandfather himself is back in Konoha."

Itachi calmly sipped from his cup of tea while Sasuke only stared at his.

 _"Fate treats me like a joke."_ he thought before turning his head to look at his pink-haired secretary. She looked radiant in the soft afternoon sunlight the permeated from the crystal dome of Penthouse 3. Her smile simply glowed as she enthusiastically as she conversed animatedly with the people around her.

"You work well together." Itachi said, looking at his brother. His eyes had a soft look that seems to be a mixture of pity and regret. Sasuke sighed, his eyes not looking away from the girl. "She knows her job. And that's good." he says before looking down at his cup of tea. Something inside him didn't feel right as the sharp sting of the past came rushing back to the surface.

 _"Listen Sakura, this will be the last time you'll ever see me! SO JUST FORGET ABOUT IT!"_

Sasuke winces at the memory and ultimately chose to shove it back down, focusing on his cousin's arrival at the capitol of the Land of Fire.

"I presume Obito will want to meet with us soon." he said, his voice slightly breaking. Itachi didn't push the topic about Sakura anymore and decided to talk to Sasuke about work.

"Yes. Also, I got an invitation to a Winter Gala at the Hokage Mansion. I won't be able to attend so I need to be there to represent us. Besides, Minato-sama told me a certain someone is already complaining about you not being able to visit. I suggest you go."

Sasuke looked sharply at his big brother who was sporting a teasing grin. "Fine, fine."

Izumi voice then called out to her husband "Itachi! Itachi!" Itachi smiled and stood up, motioning Sasuke to join them. "You won't believe want Sakura-chan told me!"

Sasuke was about to join them when his phone rang.

It was a private caller.

* * *

 ***Wipes sweats from forehead***

 **That was some editing! hahaha Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy. Please don't forget to review and favorite!**

 **Love lots**

 **C.**


	4. Chapter 4: Playing Cat and Mouse

**HI EVERYONE!**

 **So this is the edited version of chapter 4. For all those who have read chapter 4 before, you'll notice that I changed the chapter title. Don't worry. You're only getting new content to fill up and accompany the other good stuff we've read before. I promise its worth reading.**

 **Please let me know with your reviews what you think.**

 **Also, PLEASE DO NOT READ PAST THIS CHAPTER IF I HAVEN'T ANNOUNCED THE COMPLETION OF THE NEXT CHAPTER'S EDITING. I'VE GOT NEW CONTENT COMING UP SO PLEASE WAIT FOR IT!**

 **Don't forget to review and favorite!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Against the darkness of the Uchiha Tower compound, the light of Penthouse 1 stands out. Within its extravagant walls, two disheveled figures focused their attention to several scattered papers and excel files. Sasuke and Sakura has been working over the weekend to know what things needed to be checked and discussed and to set a proper timeline for the week.

"Scorpion requires to have at least a minimum of 20% shares in the airlines' revenue. Isn't that a bit too much?" Sakura asked as she looked over the excel sheet she was completing. Ever since the Friday meeting with Scorpion, Suna's leading fuel and energy company, things have been quite busy. Sasuke wanted the partnership to extend, not just to Uchiwa Air but with a prospective project called ISS. This means, if he were to get Scorpion in the project, he needs to give them a deal they can't reject.

Unfortunately for Sakura, Sasuke's resolve on finding a good deal for Scorpion meant working longer hours. She had just finished her Saturday shift from the hospital when she was called in to show up for work. Looking wasted and haggard, she rushed home to take a quick shower and donned the next business casual clothing she can grab. When she arrived, her boss had just finished a lengthy conference with engineering consultants and judging by the looks on his face, they still have a long way to go.

"That number is still under consolidation. But considering that we will be getting the supply of fuel for nearly 95% off, it's a profit risk worth considering." Sasuke reasoned out as he walked over to her. "And shouldn't you be more focused on organizing the info instead of giving commentary?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. She has only taken about 3 hours of nap within the last 24 hours and the clock seemed to tick really slowly. Her boss wasn't look any better, to be perfectly honest. His appearance has devolved from a set of ironed suit and tie to an untucked, crumpled gray shirt, a tie that loosely hung from chair, a bad case of uncombed hair and horrible dark circles beneath his eyes. Not that she was any better - Sakura looked horrendous with her matted hair tied to messy bun, faded makeup and eye bags the size of blue whales.

They have been plagued with multiple video calls from the related departments to prepare for the partnership launch; and this was the first time they've actually had some lengthy down time. After the meeting with Scorpion last Friday, several preparations needed to be made from the stocks the two companies will manage to the contracts related to the partnership and to the estimated launch date. Several calls and emails were sent out causing a domino-effect of communication that left Sasuke no choice but to spend his Saturday stay in the office to extend overnight; and perhaps over the weekend entirely.

"I know. But it's bothering me. Doesn't that part mean that Scorpion has the right demand even 100% of Uchiwa Air's revenue. Maybe we can just, I dunno, limit their shares to a minimum of 15% and a maximum of 40%? Im not a business expert but it seems only fair" Sakura continued as she went over her notes once again.

Sasuke looked at the pink haired girl who had been idly using a pen to scratch her messy head as she looked at her excel file. She has just started that week and she has already managed to handle his affairs smoothly. He can't help but feel a certain warmth as he watched his secretary scratch her messy hair or rub her tired eyes. He can't help but be reminded of the past as he observed her.

 _Same smile, same optimism, same bright green eyes, same everything. And it hurt._

From the moment he saw her name in the application form, Sasuke knew what he was dealing with, who he was gonna deal with. He thought he would be able to handle it, just like how he did almost 12 years ago but instead he felt a pain jab when she looked at him coldly - like she didn't know him at all. He accepted that this is for the best. It's like he almost didn't want her to remember.

"I'll have the legal team and the finance management team look into it, then." He replied, scanning the excel file "Sent out an email blast for a meeting this afternoon."

"Will 4pm be good? You have a board meeting with your brother and some sponsors from 9am to 12nn."

Sakura looked at her boss and to Sasuke, her eyes never looked so bright. He found these moments incredibly annoying. Moments like these were the things he wanted to avoid but with her, everything simply changes. He hates the fact the his brother somehow had some sort of plan that involved having this bright creature come into his life once again. He looks as her as she chewed her pen cap absentmindedly while constructing the email. Does she know? Does she still remember? Sasuke keeps pushing these thoughts down as he looked at her.

 _"Your grandfather is gonna take you overseas then? Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _He couldn't answer her._

 _"It was none of your business."_

 _She looked hurt but she still chose to smile despite the tears that threatened to fall. Sasuke's ten-year-old mind was unable to figure out the pain he felt in his gut as he watched her smile at him._

 _"You don't have to leave, you know. Itachi nii-san is sure to make things better and I'll be here for you! I'll visit every day so you won't be lone-"_

 _"Listen Sakura, this will be the last time you'll ever see me! SO JUST FORGET ABOUT IT!"_

 _"S-sasuke-kun...?!"_

 _Tears were starting to fall from her face._

 _"I know you miss your parents, Sasuke-kun. I miss them too! But please, you don't have to leave Konoha! Your friends are here!" she looks down at her feet, her face red. "...I'm here. I'm here for you. So please don't leave."_

 _Sasuke was starting to find it difficult to hold back his own tears as he watched Sakura cry. He didn't like it when she cried and he didn't like it when she was sad or angry or felt anything negative all together. Her smile was the best thing he had and now he was the reason why it's not on her face. It frustrated him._

 _"Sakura, you're so annoying." he said as he slammed the door at her face._

"Well? Is 4pm good?" Her voice snaps him back to reality. Sasuke scowls at her and looks away, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Yeah. 4pm is good." he answers before going back to the stocks he was analyzing.

Sakura glanced as Sasuke, his eyes looked frozen on the screen as he typed. Her last memory of him was not the best and she never really moved on. She was naive and young but she knew in her heart that her feelings for him were real - even now she can feel it. But there is this fear inside her that keeps her from finding out the reason why he left or why he doesn't remember her. Something tells her that she won't like it. She cast a quick look at Sasuke who was beginning to massage his temples. He has changed a lot. He was more handsome that she remembered - more mature, more elegant, more handsome and even more out of her reach. Sakura involuntarily grasped at her chest, trying to stop that pain that grew there and decided she needed time alone.

"Ill go get coffee," she said.

Sasuke's office, also known as Penthouse 1, takes up an entire floor of the Uchiha tower. It consists of several rooms, with Sasuke's main office as the largest part. Besides from the floor lobby where the elevator opens to, there are a couple of other rooms in Penthouse 1 like Sakura's own office, the Penthouse conference room and a secret room accessible only through a secret door by the bookshelves of Sasuke's office. Inside that secret door was a living space that can vouch for a luxury condominium that has its own bathroom, living room, bedroom and kitchenette.

The kitchenette was a marvelous place, in Sakura's opinion. It has a double-door refrigerator stocked with an alarming amount of tomato juice and several other drinks, a pantry filled with knick-knacks like bonito flakes flavored chips (No sweets, to Sakura's disappointment), and a locked cabinet labeled 'usuratonkachi.' When she asked, Juugo said that the cabinet was filled with instant ramen and was reserved for Sasuke's best friend who often crashed to stay.

Having made coffee before, she only needed to replace the coffee filter and turn on the coffee maker. Soon enough the whole of Penthouse 1 smelled of Peruvian coffee.

Sasuke inhaled the scent deeply. He was already nearing his limit, and the deal with Scorpion wasn't even his main source of stress. Obito was in town and that meant his grandfather will not be far away. Uchiha Madara was not the type to idly sit down while others do the work. He needs to hold the strings and play others like a marionette. Sasuke cannot let his grandfather into his plans - not when he was already close to completion, not when years of planning was already coming into fruition. Plus, if his grandfather would have his meddling hands all over the place, Sakura might get placed in grave danger. That was another thing that's causing him stress. He has fought so hard to keep everyone he loved at bay so that they won't get sucked into the mess he plans to make.

 _'Soon.'_ he prays. _'It will all be over soon.'_

The scent of the coffee filled Sasuke's senses and his tensed body relaxed. Caffeine usually helps him on nights like this. Itachi has suggested the he get an espresso machine but the taste of the old-fashioned brewed coffee was different. Sasuke closed his aching eyes while slowly sinking down his chair. However, he thinks no amount of caffeine can ease out his stress. Then he hears the sound of china clinking and footsteps walking away from him. Slowly, the young CEO opens his eyes and saw a steaming cup of coffee with a pink post-it.

 _ **"Heads up! We can do it!"**_ it said in neat script-writing.

He looked at the pinkette from her desk, who was enjoying a mug of coffee. She gave him smile before going back to work. There she goes again, being all optimistic and bubbly. She's so painfully innocent.

"Tch" he scoffed, before removing the post-it and secretly slipping it into his wallet.

The two continued to work, discussing information from how the stocks will affect the partnership to the appointments Sasuke would have to attend and meetings he would need to hold. Sometimes, whenever the room got silent, it becomes painfully awkward to the two of them because of their foolish game of cat-and-mouse. None of the want to speak up as if desperately trying to wait for the other to confirm their fears or reassure their hopes. It was not until a subtle ding from the intercom did the two break their cycle of work and awkward silences.

"Sasuke-sama, your brother is here. He is on his way." Juugo's voice rang.

If Juugo is already here, that would mean it's already daytime. Sakura looked at her watch and saw that it was already past 7am. Looking at the stack of papers and the list of memos she needs to complete, it seems there's still have a long way to go and she would have to spend her Sunday at work. Sakura rubbed her tired eyes and took a deep breath before going back to the schedule she was creating. A sharp rapping at the glass doors of Sasuke's office turned her attention to the man at the door. Uchiha Itachi stood at the door with a good morning smile on his face. He looked surprisingly casual in a pair of jogging pants and sweatshirt.

"Good morning, you two." He said, looking around the room. "Seems like you guys had a pretty rough night."

Sakura thought he was Sasuke's polar opposite. Uchiha Itachi was, like his brother, intelligent, talented and handsome but he was sociable and nice. If someone where to talk to him, you will not expect him to be the CEO of External Affairs of a multinational company. Unlike his brother, who seemed to lack the basics for human interaction.

"Good morning, Itachi-sama." Sakura greeted. "I have some coffee in the pantry. Would you like some?" Itachi smiled at her. "No. Thank you." he answered. "I just came to bring Sasuke a set of clothes. Figures he needed a shower." he said, while holding up a paper bag. Eyeing Sakura, he smiled "Maybe the both of you needed a bath." he followed up.

Sakura's face grew immensely red as she desperately tried to tidy up her appearance, making Itachi laugh in good nature. "It's okay, Sakura. Why don't you go home and rest?"

"Nii-san, we are busy."

"I can see that, baka otouto; but Sakura looks like a mess and surely she hasn't had time to rest since her shift from the hospital."

Sasuke eyed Sakura who had been awkwardly scratching her head. "I-I don't mind, Itachi-sama. This is work after -"

"Go home, Sakura and rest. Be back by noon and no later." Sasuke said, reluctantly.

Sakura's eyes grew bigger as she smiled. "Thank you so much!" as she grabbed her bag and waved goodbye.

* * *

"What do you need, nii-san. Can't you see we were busy?"

Itachi's aura suddenly changed from bright to dark as soon as the pinkette was out of sight. His eyes became menacing and his breathing became dangerously calm.

"Obito has sent word that Grandfather might visit next year." he said grimly. Sasuke looked down, his fist clenched tightly, crumpling the paper he held.

"I knew it." he mumbled softly. "You can't let your dislike for grandfather get in the way of your decisions, Sasuke. He's the one who raised you, after all." Itachi said as he placed the paper bag of clothes on Sasuke's desk.

Sasuke didn't always act like this. He used to be a bright kid who always managed to see the good in people. But when their parents died in a car crash when he was 8, he was never the same. Itachi tried his best to compensate, of course. He loves his brother dearly and it hurts him to see the cute kid he knew grow up to be so cold.

"I don't like him either." he continued "But he is still family and after mom and dad, we need to treasure the rest of the family we have left."

Sasuke glared at his brother and sighed. "Did he say exactly when grandfather will visit?"

"No. He just wanted to give us a heads up. You know our cousin, he looks out for you the most."

"I know he does." Sasuke said, quietly.

* * *

Sakura swears she just closed her eyes about 2 minutes ago but her phone won't stop buzzing. Half-asleep, she grabs the rose gold phone from her bedside table and and answered, not even bothering to know who the caller might be.

"Yewow?" she said.

 ** _"I thought I told you to be here by noon."_**

The cold voice in the other line gave her a kick and all traces of sleep left her senses. Realizing that her clock is showing half past 2, Sakura's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Oh my god! I'm so so sorry! I'll be there as soon as possible. Please don't fire me!"

 ** _"Don't bother. Judging by how you answered my call, you haven't even washed the sand off your eyes. Meet me at the Cafe l'Etoile, that's just a few blocks west of the tower. Don't make me wait."_**

The call ended just as Sakura was about to answer. She could feel her face flushing madly red as she tried to calm her nerves and start preparing for work.

"Honey, are you o-"

"Can't talk now mom, I'm late!"

Mebuki just smiled as she watched her daughter flit out the door with a half-buttoned coat, umbrella and uncombed wet hair. The young woman has always been a hardworker, up to the point of exhausting herself sick. Her hard work doesn't go unrewarded, however. Its just that, sometimes, as a mother, Mebuki would want her daughter to take a break.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed as she almost slipped on some ice as she ran toward the bus station. Not long after boarding the conveniently waiting bus, Sakura's phone begins to buzz again.

 **S. Uchiha: Where are you?**

 **S. Haruno: I just boarded a bus. Im so sorry! I sleptin!**

 **S. Haruno **slept in**

 **S. Uchiha" Fine. Just Hurry. And turn your auto correct on.**

Sakura blushed as she rereads her exchange with her boss. Blushing, she looks outside the bus window and smiled as she watched the snowflakes fall. It didn't take long before the bus arrives at the station near the Uchiha Tower. Sakura, who had just hopped off scanned the area underneath her umbrella. Her boss said the cafe was a few blocks west of the tower but she doesn't know exactly where. Taking a hesitant step, she begins walking westward, hoping to just come across the cafe.

It wasn't until a black Mercedes AMG-GT blared its horn did Sakura stop.

"HEY! I'M WALKING HERE!" Sakura shouted as she kicked the wheel of the fancy car. "Stupid rich guy." she muttered as she continued to walk again.

"That's not any way to talk to your boss, Sakura."

Sasuke lowered his windshield as gave a smirk as Sakura's face becomes glaring red against the snow white background. Sakura gave her an awkward smile before walking over to the front seat door. The entire car ride was fast but extremely awkward, especially for Sakura who can feel the butterflies go crazy in her stomach. Her eyes would shift from Sasuke to the window and back to Sasuke. On the other hand, Sasuke kept his gaze glued to the road. He was handsomely dressed in a casual black turtleneck sweater and some matching jeans while a gray trench coat lay at the backseat waiting to complete the whole outfit. He was undoubtedly handsome and the pink-haired med student needed to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Ano... I'm sorry. Did I make you wait?" Sakura said as she toyed with her sweater.

"No. They weren't serving what I wanted yet so I figured I'd come get you."

"Oh. What were you gonna get?"

"None of your business."

"I'm just trying to start a conversation. No need to be so mean."

"Well, I'm driving. Distract me and we might crash."

It was true. Sasuke found her innocent inquiries quite distracting. The way her green eyes would sparkle with curiosity simply drives him crazy since he cannot focus on anything but her eyes - once he gets even the smallest glimpse of them. Every moves she made was a distraction. From how she tucks her uncombed hair into place to how she scratches her nose idly - it was a distraction that simply puts his world into a complete stop. It annoyed him to no end because his focus easily gets broken whenever she's around.

He notices her sulk after his irate response and a pang of guilt overtakes his chest. Now, that's another thing that annoys him about her. If she didn't make him so elatedly distracted and dazed with awe, she fills his gut with twisted guilt and confusion. Sasuke fears the longer she stays in his presence, he will experience even more annoying things.

"Sorry…" she mutters, sulking back into her chair.

Sasuke has to resist the urge to caress her cheek. Sure, it will be so much more convenient if this girl was far far far very far away, but there is this magnetic force that keeps him longing and wanting to be near her; a force that has been with him since they were children.

They arrived the cafe shortly; unfortunately, there seems to be a long line by the counter. A strange feeling entered Sakura's stomach but she didn't know exactly what it was. Sighing deeply, she was about to reach for the door when Sasuke blocked her hand and instead, got out of the car and opened it for her. Snow softly fell as Sakura struggled to open her umbrella. She was in a rush to leave home that she accidentally chose the umbrella with a bipolar syndrome, sometimes is opens easily, sometimes it doesn't. She was about to curse the small umbrella to hell when a large hand with slender fingers opened it for her. Looking up, she sees her boss maneuver the umbrella open.

"We're getting wet. Let's go." He said as he hold the umbrella over her.

They walked side-by-side underneath the umbrella along the café's walkway. It was a quaint looking café with a lovely outdoor enclosure that could've easily been decorated with flowers if it weren't winter. The path that led to the door was decorated by river rocks and lined with a low azalea hedge. It matched the café's theme because it gave a very English provincial type of feel. The building itself was made of warm red bricks with decorative mahogany window panes, something Sakura really liked. When they entered the café, the scents of vanilla, lavender, caramel and warm sugar tickled her nose and the warmth of the open fire made her feel cozy.

"How come I never knew of this café before? Something this wonderful should've been on my instagram list." Sakura said as she took out her phone to take pictures.  
"Because this café just opened to the public week ago. Izumi nee-chan owns this place. It used to be exclusive to the employees of Uchiha Corp." Sasuke answered as he got in line.

"Izumi-chan has great taste." Sakura remarked as she took as snapshot of the fire place. She then scooched over to Sasuke on an effort to show him the photos but he scoffed her off, making her pout. "You'll disrupt the line." he said. Sakura replied with a smile and patiently waited for the line to move while her boss talked on the phone behind her. It didn't take long before they reached the counter and Sakura marveled at the wide array of coffees, teas and treats she can get.

"A-ano… Sasuke-sama…" she asked worriedly, addressing her boss who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is the matcha with anko frappucino here good?" She looked so clueless and out-of-place, Sasuke sighed before walking over to the counter and ordered for the two of them.

Recognizing one of the CEOs of Uchiha Corp, the nerdy looking barista almost stammered as he took the orders. It also seemed that the barista was not the only person who recognized the well-known CEO because a few of the waiting customers began to whisper, and one even took a snapshot.

"I'll pay you back." Sakura said as she took the receipt from the barista.  
"No need." Sasuke replied as he took the brown bag of goodies.

* * *

"So, pinky, is fucking businessmen your new job? I always thought you were ambitious but not the social climber type. Guess even people like me can have mistakes."

"Good morning, Ami. I see karma hasn't caught up to you yet."

It was her free period and Sakura has taken the liberty to grab an espresso from the school cafe; only to be side-tracked by Momoichi Ami and her clique of models. Sunday became a day filled with filing, international business video calls and appointment scheduling. Fortunately, Sakura and her boss were able to finish at least an acceptable amount of work for them to go home and spend the rest of the weekend at home. Unfortunately for Sakura, her Monday starts at 8 and things aren't usually pleasant on Mondays.

Momoichi Ami was the epitome of a Mean Girl. From the salon-groomed bleached hear to the designer shoes she painstakingly tried to match to the school uniform all the way to the diamond-studded manicure, she and her minions can put Fujikaze Yukie to shame. Sakura tried to stay out of their way but ever since she upped Ami at the school council elections during their 3rd year in pre-med, Ami has decided to make sure to find dirt on Haruno 'Ms. Perfect' Sakura. Not that she ever succeeded though. It seems people only cared when she's the one who messes up.

"Well, I guess that explains why you finally got a gadget upgrade, huh? Sugar daddies are rumored to be very generous when bitches like you know what they like. Do, tell me, Suckra, does he like it raw or with a condom on?"

Ami never learns. Sakura didn't want to have anything to do with this girl who has issues. Her actions are so immature and stereotypical, its already a joke. Sadly, people like them don't back-off unless they were given a taste of their own medicine. However, Ami doesn't usually attack Sakura without any ammunition in hand so the sudden hostility weirded her out. Thinking it was just something the mean girl dug up from her social media account, Sakura sighed and retaliated.

"Gee, Ami, I don't really know. Maybe you should ask _your_ sugar daddy how he likes it. Maybe then he can pay for your butt implants."

Clearly flustered, Ami turned sharply and walked away while muttering curses and indecencies. Her minions did the same as they flipped their perfectly groomed hair and stalked after their ring leader.

Somewhere in the crowded school cafe, a girl with long blonde hair passed by them. She wore a purple sweater that's tucked in a pair of high-waist pants. A smirk was on her face when she saw her best friend's mop of pink hair.

"Hey FOREHEAD!" She shouted, "YOU OWE ME AN EXPLANATION AND I NEED IT NOW!"

Yamanaka Ino, a masteral student of Psychology had been Sakura's bestfriend since pre-school. Back then, Sakura was bullied for her hair and her forehead but Ino was there to always help her and defend her. After that their friendship strengthened with rivalry, an in-synced way of thinking and their undeniable love for sweets. She was like the sister Sakura never had. Ino walked over to Sakura's table where the pinkette was enjoying an espresso and a bagel.

"Spill it, forehead or I will cut you." she said as she pulled a seat.

Sakura swallowed the bread she was chewing before giving a chuckle. "Good morning Ino. So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing Ms. Piggy so early?" she said with a playful smile. Ino has a knack for being loud and loved being the center of attention. From her natural golden blonde hair to her bright turquoise eyes, Yamanaka Ino was the It Girl of Konoha School's Psychology department. The blonde was finishing her doctorate degree in psychology in hope to pursue the Yamanaka family tradition and to one-up her father - Yamanaka Inoichi, the author of a famous book in criminal psychology.

"Oh, come on, bitch. The twitter is already twittering about it. So tell me, is my virgin sister finally getting laid?"

Sakura almost spat out the coffee in her mouth. "Hashirama's ghost, Ino. We're not talking panties this early in the morning. I barely got to rest over the weekend because of work."

Ino raised her eyebrow. "Nah ah, girl. You ain't doin that to me again." she said taking out her phone and showing Sakura a photo of her and her boss looking all cozy as they talked to a barista. The photo was a bit out of focus but it was distinguishable enough to see that it was her and Sasuke during their visit to Cafe l'Etoile.

"Seeing as its _THE_ Uchiha Sasuke is why you're not able to rest for the weekend, boo, I can see why."

Sakura needed to take a look again at the photo and wondered if Sasuke already knew. Clearing her throat, Sakura shook her head. "He's my _employer,_ Pig." Ino gave a sarcastic chuckle. She was not having any of it. "Not what I heard. Says here, you two were cozy as fuck like a damn decent couple in love."

"And this is why people have tabloids. C'mon Ino. You seriously believe that tweet instead of me?"

"I'll believe any tabloid I want, thank you very much. Besides, knowing you, you'd grow up to be an oooold pruuuuuune because you're still in-love with your childhood friend who moved away and never came back."

"Ino, you know I love you but you can really be a little bitch sometimes."

"No honey, you luuuuurv me because I am a bitch. Don't worry, I love you too."

Sakura chuckled as Ino scooched over to her and gave her a bear hug. "Now, spill it or else."

"I have nothing to spill! He just wanted to grab a coffee and since I am his secretary, I needed to come along."

"Ahuh... Something tells me there's more to it than that."

"Weeeeell, he did pick me up from the bus station in a really really fancy car." Sakura said with a blush.

Seeing how her friend turn pink, the blonde smiled wider and pointed at Sakura accusingly. "You naughty naughty little minx! That's not all to is, it is there?"

"We shared an umbrella?"

"And?"

"That's it."

Shattered, Ino downed all of Sakura's espresso; making the pinkette's eyes wide in protest.

"Hey! I was gonna finish that!"

"And I was hoping to get some juicy gossip!" Ino joked. Sakura rolled her eyes and playfully pulled Ino's hair taking back the empty espresso cup.

* * *

A man dressed in black and white clothes stared at a fire as he held his cane. The Five Kage Summit was coming in close and his hopes are rising. His ambition to make Konoha the strongest will soon become a reality. He only needed right connections and the right timing.

Soon.

* * *

 **Alright everyone! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **I'll be posting something new soon! So please watch out for it!**

 **Don't forget to let me know what you think about the new version of Autocorrect!**

 **Love lots,**

 **C**


	5. Chapter 5: A Normal Day

**Hey guys!**

 **So we are now finally back online with Autocorrect. This is the updated Chap 5 and trust me, this had a lot of major changes made. The story is now taking a different turn and although the plot is the same, the approach and series of events have been changed. Please make sure to let me know what you think.**

 **Thanks again, guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Normal Day.**

"So, you have a lunch meeting at 12 with Itachi-sama and the ambassador from Suna, something about the upcoming space program and Nobuyuki-sensei is coming up for the next proposition that was approved by Amaterasu."

Sakura was ticking boxes off her smart phone as she and Sasuke walked passed the doors of Cafe d'Etoile. It was a busy morning and being the coffee addict, Sasuke just had to rush to the coffee shop. His stood smartly in his black trench coat and looked around the cafe. The line wasn't very long hut there were a lot of people in the cafe; and ever since that tweet circling the internet, Sasuke has decided to keep an eye out for people who didn't know how to mind their own business. He was used to being in the limelight but Sakura wasn't. Gossip, rumors and tabloid headlines weren't a new thing for him. The pinkette beside him, however, has been virtually invisible and he would prefer to keep things that way.

"You know, I don't understand why we need to drive all the way down here for your coffee. I can brew a decent cup with the grounds in the Penthouse 5."

It was true. The coffee she makes were simply the best and she does have some reason behind her words. If Sasuke wanted to keep her away from the press, it would be best not to be seen in public. However, there is a part in him that is simply jumped for joy and possessiveness when the tweet went viral. He _wanted_ her to be seen with him, let the people know that she was with him. It was selfish because he doesn't even know if she remembers him from their childhood. He glanced at Sakura. She was dressed in a gray designer sweater, thermal leggings and a pair of black riding boots. The simple white fur beret was a nice touch to the whole ensemble. Her sense of style has greatly shifted to a more sophisticated and business-like aesthetic despite being on the job with him for only a few weeks. Maybe because she can now afford a more expensive wardrobe. It greatly pleased him that her outfit somehow matched his own black trench coat and dark gray turtleneck ensemble, but of course, he's not gonna show anyone how extremely pleased he was.

"What will you have, Haruno-sama?"

Sasuke snapped from his thoughts and find that Sakura was the one ordering for them. The barista on the till was a young man with an annoyingly blushing face and shy demeanor as the pink-haired woman detailed their coffee. Sasuke knew what that red-faced stammer was about and he didn't like it.

"Sakura," he said, shuffling closer to the girl, practically enveloping her in his towering frame, "...I want my Americano with 2 shots of espresso."

"I-I already told him that, Sasuke-sama." She answered while an obvious blush creeped up her face. The barista now felt like he stepped over his boundaries and is now looking scared at what the Uchiha Group CEO might demand.

"Yeah, but I want the dark roast Costa Rica - Peruvian blend that's been hard pressed, -"

"Sasuke-sama, isn't that a bit-" Sakura tried to reason with him but Sasuke placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "And I want," he looked down at the barista's name plate and smirked. "I want Takeuchi-kun to brew it for me."

At some point during their time together, Sasuke had accepted that Sakura was an inevitable part of his life. He avoided he once when he left for Amegakure. He swore to forget her and their childhood together. He strived to make sure that she would never come back into his life, for both her safety and his plans. However, fate, as it seems, has other plans. So, he decided to just accept her as inevitable. If he can't keep her away, then he just had to make sure she was with him at all times. After all, the safest place in war is always beside the general.

Unbeknownst to the couple, somewhere within the cafe's many patrons was a camera that captured everything that had happened.

* * *

"That wasn't very nice, Sasuke-sama. The poor barista was shaking as he brewed you your coffee."

They were on their way back to the office and Sasuke was driving his Mercedes while Sakura ride shotgun, cradling their precious coffee. She watched him as he turned the steering wheel with slightly more force than usual. They were busy starting off the day when her boss suddenly stood up and decided to go down and grab a coffee. She would have been happy to brew them a cup but Sasuke was adamant that they go down to the cafe.

"Sakura, what did I say about talking to me while driving?"

"Sorry, its just that you were very rude to the poor guy."

"I simply laid out what I wanted. They had the beans and the equipment to make it and I am a paying customer. Now, quit distracting me."

Sakura rolled her eyes and huffed. Her boss was hard to handle but she doesn't mind. _Sasuke-kun is Sasuke-kun_ she keeps telling herself, even if he doesn't remember her. The idea that she was here to help him, in any way she can, was comforting. At first, she was hesitant with their whole arrangement. He doesn't seem to recognize her for who she was and even though it hurt, it might be for the best. They were worlds apart, after all. Sakura figured, it was hopeless to have the old Sasuke-kun back and that maybe their set-up right now will be for the best. It will help her accept that the parts they played in each other's lives were through. She was happy to be his secretary and if that's her role in his life right now, then she'll give it her 150%, if not her, 200%. That doesn't mean she's gonna put up with his rich kid actions.

As they parked the car in one of the Uchiha Tower's extensive parking spaces, Sakura watched as her companion's coal black eyes surveyed the area. "Is there something wrong?" she said as she trailed her green eyes across the seemingly empty parking lot.

She knew he was being cautious. Ever since the stir created when their photo circled Twitter, the paparazzi have been in heat. They sought out to find every opportunity to get more photos of the two and it was annoying. The most annoying one happened the day after the photo went viral. The members of the so-called Uchiha Sasuke Appreciation Club marched into the tower and held a protest and picketing demanding that she make a formal apology for personally offending their rights and threatened to file a restraining order. While Itachi and Izumi's team handled the chaos, a few of the members managed to steal an ID card from one of the security guards and sneaked into Penthouse 5. It was a good thing Juugo was there and was able to handle the situation. Sakura didn't know what kind of madness overwhelmed the girls when they decided to take such insane actions. Sasuke had been on the edge since then, prompting the security to install finger print scanners to replace the access card scanners. She's not one to blame him. If a simple fangirl was able to steal an access card, what can a real malicious person do?

Sakura glanced at her boss with worried eyes as he removed his gaze from the empty parking lot. He huffed and unhooked his seat belt. Sakura followed his suit and proceeded to follow him to the elevators. He was quiet and seemed to be in deep thought. The young CEO has been on deep thought lately. There were times when she would catch him staring at the scenic view of the winter blanketed Konoha, his charcoal black eyes dazed and glassy. She wanted to blame it on the amount of work they received but a gut-feeling told her it wasn't. Of course, she had wanted to ask what the matter was; but knowing Sasuke, he would most likely tell her off and say it wasn't her business to know or tell her that it's nothing and proceed to changing the topic into work.

"Shall I make reservations at Akimichi's again?" Sakura asked as they hopped into the Penthouse 5 elevator. Sasuke, now carrying the coffee, nodded. "I'll get the usual then, and perhaps a private function room? Itachi-sama and Izumi-chan will be joining us and we are meeting with a political figure." Sasuke only gave a grunt of approval before stepping out of the elevator when it dinged open. Sakura expected to see a tall man with orange hair waiting for them, but instead, her nonchalant boss was almost tackled by a tall man with golden blond hair in a loud orange jacket. The man, now face-planted onto the closed door of the elevator, twitched from the impact. Having been successful from side-stepping the tackling idiot, Sasuke simply walked over twitching mess of a body and continued to flawlessly walk to his office as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"Hurry up Sakura. The coffee will get cold of you keep lollygaging."

"Sasuke-sama" she said, prodding the twitching mass with her boot, "Shouldn't we send him to the clinic? He might have had a concussion from his fall."

"Don't mind him. That idiot doesn't have enough brains to get damaged."

Sakura walked over the body and simply walked towards Sasuke direction when a mewl was heard. The med student whipped her back and she jade eyes were met with a pair of wide aquamarine. The man, whose face was marked with whisker-like scars, gasped in surprise before standing up and running towards Sakura. He stopped infront of her flabbergasted frame and gave a good long look.

Before enveloping her in a bone crushing bear hug.

Sasuke stood in wide-eyed shock as he watched his secretary be embraced by a man he assumes she's never met before. What shocked him further was when her delicate arms suddenly returned the embrace. He involuntarily growled. Everything about him was about to pounce and pry the two apart and stop the ridiculous unexpected display of affection but he stopped himself midway when Sakura pulled away from the hug and cocked her fist and giving his blond friend a solid upper cut to the gut.

"That is for going off the grid for 2 years without letting me know before hand."

The blond keeled over, wheezing as he tried to recover from the pinkette's powerful punch. His cerulean eyes trailed to Sasuke as if asking for help but the CEO only raised his eyebrow. He stood with a smirk on his face, clearly pleased at the sudden turn of events. Sakura, on the other hand, was busy cracking her knuckles; her previous demeanour of looking out for the blond man was now obviously gone. She was huffing as if trying to relieve pent up frustration before speaking.

"You know you deserve that, Naruto. Don't start keeling over. I know you can take more than that."

Sasuke was appalled by the familiarity he had just witnessed. Uzumaki Naruto was another childhood friend of his. He had met him during one of the meetings his father had with the Yondaime Hokage and the two instantly became rivals, choosing to compete over everything and anything that comes across their way. That childhood rivalry soon developed into a brotherly relationship that continued on until Sasuke left Konoha and completed university. Affectionately and permanently labeled as usurantonkachi, Naruto was a regular face in the Uchiha household until his sudden assignment to Mt. Myoboku for 2 years. As a lawyer and currently, a Captain in the Air Force of the Konoha Military Forces, Naruto was sent by his commanding officer to train under the strict guidance of the obsure training base of the Infamous Thunder Toad, Jiraiya. He never expected him to know Sakura personally; and by the looks of it, they have a history.

"Sakura-chan," The blond wheezed, "Its nice to see you again."

* * *

Naruto watched as Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura interacted. There was a certain rhythm that radiated from them that he cannot specifically name. It was like watching lava ooze down from a volcano. He watched as Sakura led him into the secret room of Sasuke's office, laying out the coffee they had purchased before walking over to Sasuke. He watched as Sasuke nodded and huffed as he listened to Sakura's words before walking over to him and placing a hand on his hip. There was something hypnotizing about two. It was as if they moved in a beat that only they can hear. The pinkette left the him with Sasuke so they can talk. He doesn't know what sort of trick fate has played on all of them but he was happy that his bestfriend and his other bestfriend are acquainted; and maybe even more than acquainted.

"You realize you just ruined an entire day's schedule, right?" He said. Naruto raised his eyebrow inquisitively. "Did you have a full schedule today?"

"As a matter of fact, I have a full schedule everyday, you idiot. Now what do you want?"

Naruto watched as Sakura entered the room again, this time with her tablet in hand. She was using a stylus to write something before handing to Sasuke who mimicked her actions. She gave Naruto a smile before leaving the room. Naruto took out his phone and opened his Twitter before showing an article to Sasuke.

 _Is Uchiha Sasuke finally in the Love Game?_

 _Konoha's most elusive bachelor, Uchiha Sasuke, has been photographed at a local cafe while being intimate with a mysterious pink-haired beauty. Twitter user princess_yukie31 has graciously offered DMZ the rumored photo showing the CEO all cozy with mademoiselle mystère. Unfortunately for us, the angle of the photo doesn't show her face but we can all agree that bubblegum pink is the new color for envy._

A blurry photo of himself and Sakura was shown on the article. It had multiple retweets and quotes along with several angry statements from fangirls and commentary about his lovelife. Sasuke exhaled before giving Naruto the stink eye. The blond was giving him another stink eye in return before taking his phone away.

"So, you and Sakura-chan, huh?"

When Naruto got wind of the viral news about his bestfriend's love life, he knew he had to rush to him and get the deets. He had just returned home from his assignment in Mt. Myoboku and Uchiha Sasuke was the first thing his mother teased him. The young CEO has been reluctant to date anybody, choosing to abstain from any sort of romantic pursuits. Naruto had tried to get him into the dating scene but was quickly shut down.

"I am not gonna listen to you talk about romance." Sasuke said, his hand still perched in his hip.

"But this is your SOCIAL LIFE! Something that's been non-existent and now for the first time in for ever, love is an open door for you! You need warm hugs even though the cold doesn't bother you!"

Sasuke wanted to plant his face into the coffee table. "Enough with the Disney references, usuratonkachi. Besides, how come the two of you know each other?"

"Getting a little possessive, Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a teasing smirk on his face

"Just answer the damn question."

Naruto smiled warmly before shaking his head. The nostalgia of reminiscing the memories he had with Sakura was a tidal wave of emotion. He took a deep breath before scratching his chin. He and Sakura had been bestfriends since middle school but they didn't start off well..

"We met when I was in middle school. The both of us were classmates in Konoha School. You know how Tsunade baa-chan is. Anyways, we didn't start off well because she was this A+ student and you know me, I like sleeping in class."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he sat down the arm chair opposite to Naruto before crossing his legs. So his bestfriend was with Sakura during middle school. What a coincidence.

"One time, because I was seriously failing Biology, I got paired with her. I guess you can say we kicked off right away. And I meant she kept kicking me. I wasn't really helping much but I tried my best with the lab works. Eventually we became friends. Man, we became inseparable then. Then came high school. You know what happened then right?"

Sasuke nodded as he took a sip from his lukewarm americano.

"I ran away from home when they told me I'm gonna be sent away to the mountains. I mean I was just 15! I wanted to be a lawyer, not a military officer. I mean, sure, I was also gonna do it sooner or later but I wasn't ready. Even if my dad did it too. So I ran away from home and Sakura-chan's family took me in. Mebuki baa-chan explained everything to Tsunade baa-chan when they found me. It was a good thing Sakura was Tsunade baa-chan's favorite student!"

Naruto laughed it out. He didn't know how to express the pinkette's importance in his life. Sure, Sasuke was his bestfriend, a brother he never had. But Sakura, Sakura was something special. She was like this partner, this equal whom he knew had his back no matter what. She was like this guiding star that helped him get through that difficult moment in his teenage years. Its different from the feelings one would have with a lover. What he had with Sakura was a partnership that he finds equal to his rivalry with Sasuke.

"I guess I did deserve that upper cut. Sakura-chan hasn't lost her touch. Her punches still hurt like shit."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. That upper cut was a surprise to him and he didn't expect to see something like that from Sakura. The Sakura from his memory, his Usako-chan, was a shy, meek and bright minded little girl whom he needed to protect at all cost. Not that he minded this new thing he discovered. However, something within him stung with jealousy as he listened to Naruto talk about the things he didn't know about Sakura.

Naruto looked at Sasuke. To an outsider, the CEO would look like someone wholly uninterested. However, under his trained eye, the slightly noticible twitching of Sasuke's foot, the subtle jerks from his left hand, and the uneven breathing meant that he was itching to know more. Naruto chuckled. His friend was completely hopeless when it comes to emotion.

"Sakura-chan has a black belt in Karate and was even scouted to compete for the Nationals. She didn't compete though. Tsunade baa-chan was the one who got her into martial arts and even trained her personally. She's by far the scariest sparring partner I've ever had. She stopped practicing when she entered med school, though."

"I see."

Sasuke looked away from Naruto. He had missed so much, so much. Its like he doesn't know the pink haired girl anymore. It was hopeless and it was painful.

"Is she the girl? The little bunny girl?"

Sasuke gave a melancholic nod.

"Alright! Codename: Project SS is GO! Captain Uzumaki Naruto of the 7th Konohagakure Garasu-Tengu Aviators reporting for duty!"

Naruto stood up in full Air Force salute while Sasuke struggled not to spit out the coffee he just drank.

"Don't you dare."

* * *

"...And in full acceptance of the values of peace and unity, I propose an agreement that can secure each and every nation's military power; an armistice, if you will. It is known throughout history that he who owns the bullets and the bandages -"

A faint buzzing of a phone distracted Hatake Kakashi from the droning speech he was listening to. Councillor Himura Danzo was not the best speaker and, being the carefree spirit that he is, Kakashi always found it hard to listen to the chants of an aging man. As General of the Konoha Air Force and direct commanding officer of Garasu-Tengu Aviators, he was given the code name Mad Dog by his regiment after hearing about his risky, foolhardy, but genius dog fights from the 3rd World War. He agrees, of course. Only a Mad Dog would manage getting assigned to the highest Air Force rank and listen to the murmurs of politicians and con artists.

Excusing himself from the board room, the silver haired general straightened his suit and answered the incoming video call. A man, wearing a matching eye-patch, popped into the screen.

"Obito, I was in a meeting with the Councillor for Homeland Security."

"Knowing you, I'm surprised you were awake!"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye and raised his gloved hand to comb over his hair. The young General was a handsome man but he chose to cover his mouth and nose with a mask and his left eye with an eye patch. His friend, Obito, also wore an eyepatch over his left eye. The two of them fought in the 3rd World War and suffered similar injuries, having belonged in the same regiment. It was a bloody history, one that changed them both for good.

"Cheeky. What do you want, Obito?"

"Just trying to catch up with you, Mad Dog."

Upon hearing his military code name, Kakashi's first instinct was to look around and see if anyone was listening.

"This better not be a prank call, Tobi." he replied, his voice steady and firm.

"I wish it were but I thought you should be the one to know first, since you know, we're friends and we both have the Yellow Flash in common."

 _Yellow Flash,_ their former commanding officer's military code name. Kakashi can sense the agitation in Obito's voice. It didn't feel right. The Uchiha was usually care free and despite spearheading the largest weapons development franchise, he was a pacifist; opting to advocate peace.

"If it's that important, tell me in person. Taichou is holding a Winter Gala to honor his kid and his fiancee -"

"No. Just listen, okay? I'll be in Konoha next year to talk about the ISS but there is something else you have to know. Irregular transactions have been made within Sharingan's systems. I'm still trying to trace them but I want you to keep your eye out."

"If what you say is true then someone within Sharingan is - "

"I know, I know. But I need to make sure first. This can just be an error done by the accounting department but my gut tells me its not. Mad Dog, I trust you'll just stay vigilant for now. I don't want to involve my cousins in this; not after what happened to their parents. Even the old man hasn't moved on."

"It was an unfortunate accident, but you know you need to let them know."

Obito's sighed. It was more than an unfortunate accident. The deaths of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto sparked a chain of events within the family. Sasuke was taken from Konoha, Itachi was left alone to lead the company at such a young age and everyone else shut down as if they were only existing in blank routine filled lives.

"I need you to swear in _her_ honor, Mad Dog. This stays between you and me."

 _Her._ The reason for Obito's pacifism and Kakashi's motivation to stay in the Air Force: Nohara Rin. The girl who loved Kakashi with all her heart. The girl whom Obito loved and still loves even in death. The girl whom Kakashi failed to protect.

"In her honor." he said quietly. His bestfriend nodded in response. The line went dead afterwards and the Air Force General sighed before going back inside the board room.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura found Naruto asleep. When they left to attend the luncheon meeting with the ambassador of Suna, they left Naruto whining about wanting to come along but they both refused. They knew he was just up to his usual joking self and ultimately decided to wait for the two to return. Unfortunately, his tired cerulean eyes gave away. Upon his return from Mt. Myoboku, he had been swamped with work from the public attorney's office and the reports he needed to make for the military. The blond was snoring so loud that his snores were heard the moment Sasuke and Sakura entered the main office. Naruto was sprawled out like a rag doll with a hint of dried drool shimmering at the side of his mouth. Sakura stifled a laugh when she saw the sight. Who would have thought that this childish man belonged to the Air Force's prime regiment and is one of the leading political lawyers in Konoha. When they had met, she didn't know about his family and his connections to the Hokage. To her, he was the boy who talked big in class but had little to show. He was irritating and was a pain to her side - especially when they got paired in Biology.

 _"Look at me! I'm a TOAD!"_

 _A 15-year-old Naruto held out a toad by its limbs, making it move as if it were a puppet. He wore is uniform in a careless manner, his hair largely uncombed and his face dirty from his activities. Proud of his trademark color, he tied his bright orange hoodie around his waist, making sure it was still pretty noticeable. Beside him was a 16-year old Sakura who wanted nothing more than to plant her face within the aluminum laboratory table. Her pink hair was long and was styled into a cute princess braid tied with dainty red ribbons. Biology class was her jam and unfortunately, she got paired with the class idiot._

 _"Will you please put the frog down, Naruto? We need to start dissecting it."_

 _Naruto made an exaggerated reaction of shock, placing the toad close to his chest and his mouth in wide open in the classic drama queen fashion._

 _"You take that back! You take that back right now!" He said, gasping comically. "This glorious creature is a TOAD! Shame on you for calling it a FROG!"_

 _Sakura rolled her eyes while wearing a smile. She appreciated the blond's aptitude for comedy but it was always misplaced. It was never made at the right place at the right time. Like for example, they needed to dissected the frog-toad, not play with it._

 _"Sure. Now why don't you put the toad down so we can get started."_

 _The blond placed the toad down a down and made a salute. "I salute you, oh great Toady! For you are now one of the countless martyred toads sacrificed in the name of middle-school science."_

 _"Har har. Put your gloves on."_

Sakura smiled at the memory before walking over to the blond to wake him up. Sasuke leaned over the door framed and watched as his secretary woke up his sleeping visitor. He expected her to pat Naruto face with a kind and motherly tone but he only to chortle back a chuckle when she rolled him off the couch.

"Wake up, you big baby." she said and the blond woke up with a miserable grunt. "Oh, don't be such a wuss. We both know you don't wake up unless I drop you."

"Hinata-chan doesn't drop me but I still wake up."

"Yeah, well, I'm your bestfriend. Bestfriends make your life miserable while girlfriends make it happy. The balance of the universe rests on it."

Naruto stood upright and scratched his head. "Riiiiight. You and Sasuke both make sure I'm as miserable as can be." he said returning the joke. "Anyways, I was hoping the two of you can go to the Gala my dad is holding. You can come as my guest, Sakura-chan."

Sakura was about to answer when she cut abruptly cut-off by her boss.

"She's coming with me."

* * *

 **And that's about it for Chapter 5. Thanks to all the readers who stayed. I am very sorry if most of you have dropped because you're disappointed and all. But hey, I have a life behind the laptop screen and a lot has happened.**

 **Thanks for reading and don't forget to review**

 **C.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Birds and The Bees

**Hi there and hello guys!**

 **Yes, I am alive. Sorry for the very very long hiatus. As you can see, most of the chapters have been edited and some have been removed. I hope you guyes will read and enjoy this version better. Make sure to tell me what you think.**

 **Disclaimer: I dont claim any ownership to Naruto and any other trademarked characters, items, and persons living or dead.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Birds and the Bees**

The thing with being viral is that most of the time, people will eventually forget about everything once the hype has died down. It becomes trending, talk of the town, gossips and rumors add up from word of mouth until finally, everyone gets tired about the topic that they just shut up about it. At least, that's what Itachi hoped for when his little brother became viral _yet again_ but this time at least he was linked with someone they knew; and that someone they knew was a girl.

"Remember the time when Sasuke was linked to Naruto and everyone thought they were gay?"

Uchiha Izumi brushed her long brown hair on her boudoir. Her husband was on their bed, typing away on his laptop, looking too stern and serious to joke around. The light of his laptop reflected on his rectangular wire-rimmed glasses, making him look like he wasn't paying attention. Izumi tsked as she set her brush done and started her nightly skin care routine. Dabbing her favorite rose-scented toner on a ball of cotton, she started to gag as the sickly sweet scent reached her nose. "Oh goodness gracious!" She exclaimed, throwing the cotton ball away.

"That's what you get for always forgetting to replace the cap. And I always did think that that toner stinks." Itachi said, chuckling. His eyes were still hidden by the reflected light but his voice was light and teasing. Izumi pouted. "In case you haven't noticed, _husband dearest_ , I have been feeling nauseous ever since we left that sushi place _you_ insisted we eat at. Don't blame my 3000 ryo toner."

Itachi chuckled as he removed his glasses and closed his laptop. He tapped the spot beside him, beckoning his wife to his side ."Im sorry. I've been craving their tamagoyaki for days. Besides, You and I both know that I'm the one who gets the cravings in this marraige." Izumi walked over to the bed, deciding to forgo her routine. "Don't remind me. Last week, you insisted we go for an all-you-can-eat dango and mochi feast." She snuggled into the cream-colored duvet, feeling the warm, silky texture of the fabric through her satin nightdress. Itachi followed suit after turning off the lights, enveloping his wife inside his arms.

"Hey, do you think...?" A small voice in the duvet asked.

"Well, we have been trying vigorously these past days... Maybe you can take the test."

"Hmmmm... Maybe."

There was a a comforting silence in the room. Izumi snuggled deeper into her husband's arms, relishing the softness of the duvet and the security of Itachi's embrace.

"I have a question," she asked after several moments of silence.

"Hm?" Came an answer.

"Is she...? Sakura-chan, I mean. The girl from Sasuke's childhood."

"Yeah. But they seem to be having a hard time figuring it out. Such dorks."

Izumi's bell-like giggle echoed in the room. "Let's go to sleep, dork."

* * *

It was a busy morning in Sakura's Research class. The progress of hers and Ino's masteral thesis on childhood post-traumatic stress disorder has been facing a dead-end and their professor has been doing his best to help. Unfortunately, despite the joint efforts of professor and student, its not easy, especially since their test subjects were children with trauma. Sakura massaged her aching temples and yawned. The fact that she's basically the girl who is trending on Twitter is not helping her. Sure, nobody knows that its _her_ but its only a matter of time before someone finds out.

 _Not that she doesn't want to be recognized as Sasuke's girlfriend. Unfortunately, she isn't._

Sakura sighed, reclined into the wooden backrest of her classroom desk and closed her eyes. All she wanted was a high-paying job so she can pay her graduation fees and specialization tuition fees in Suna. She didn't want to be a trending topic, she didn't want to be the subject of rumors, and she didn't want this emotional torture of false hope and media-fabricated love. No, she didn't; because all of this is just too painful to bear. She can work effectively, smile and joke around, and even act like it doesn't bother her. But it does, it most certainly does. Everytime she sees a post about her supposed romance with her boss, everytime she hears a word about them circling the gossip girls and rumor mills, its feels like she's being taunted about the lies everyone seemed to believe.

"Hey, Earth to Forehead."

Ino's voice seemed to echo from the recesses of Sakura's mind. Her bestfriend, the cosmos to her cherry blossom, her sister from another dimension, the -

"Oi! Haruno Sakura! If you're not gonna do your job properly, I'm gonna break up with you!"

Sakura's eyes shot wide open in panic as her bestfriend screeched into her ear. The blond, now smirking evilly with her beautifully rogued rose red lips, held out a stick of their favorite caffeinated bubblegum. Emerald green stared gratefully into turquoise blue as Sakura popped the spearmint flavored confection into her mouth. Sweet, cool, and minty, the gum released its caffeine content unto Sakura whom, in return sighed happily as she continued to chew.

"Class is already dismissed for a research break. Wanna grab a quick snack?"

Sakura glanced at her gold wristwatch. It was almost ten in the morning. She's expected to be at the Tower by lunchtime, most likely because of a luncheon meeting again. Trying to recall the day's schedule, Sakura bit her lip before nodding towards Ino.

"Take me to that cafe!" Ino said excitedly, leaving Sakura in a sudden state of both shock and panic. A pink haired girl in Cafe d'Etoile can only point back to her but seeing the childish excited twinkle in Ino's eyes, Sakura smiled softly. "Sure, Pig. You'll the pudding there! It's really good!" She said, while her friend clapped in excitement. Ino had wanted to see the place where her bestfriend became an anonymous celebrity. Sakura, by her memory, was a girl who used to hide behind anything, ashamed of what she looks like and afraid of the world. She was a meek and timid little girl, very much the opposite of who the pinkette was today. She had grown into a vivacious and beautiful young woman with the mind and the strength to literally pin anyone down. Ino couldn't be more happy.

"I can't drive." Sakura said as they reached the school parking lot. Sakura couldn't doesn't have her own car but she sometimes borrows the family car. Luckily Ino has her own Nissan Altima. "I'm sleepy as fuck so I get shotgun. I'll just tell you how to get there." she said, untying the tight bun on her head. Balancing her medicine degree with her job at Uchiha Corp is very very taxing. She was managing a very difficult degree with a very difficult full-time job. How she somehow manages it, she doesn't know. "Yeah, I'll drive, but my pudding is your treat!" Ino laughed as she slid into the driver seat.

The drive towards the cafe was quite fast. It was still in the middle of the morning and not many people were on the streets. Ino was ecstatic that she's finally into the scene of her bestfriend's possible love-life endeavors. It thrilled her that Sakura, Little Miss I-Don't-Have-Time-For-Love, is finally moving on from her childhood love and finding someone new. It was ridiculous anyways. Sakura's childhood friend left to go abroad and never sent a single letter, never sent a single post card, never sent a single email. Ino never met that said childhood friend but Sakura told her many stories. The little girl nicknamed the friend "Ookami-kun" because she refused to tell his real name. So Ino knew childhood friend by the name of "Ookami-kun." To be honest, the psychologist never really understood why Sakura, even throughout the years, never seemed to have let go of Ookami-kun. It was sad but at least know, she was finally moving on.

"Ok, so you stop in front of the little shop there, the one that looks like an English cottage."

Ino parked the car and her turquoise eyes welcomed what was probably the cutest cafe she had ever seen. "Forehead, I'm angry at you for not taking me here sooner! Its so cute!"

* * *

"I trust that the plans we have laid-out have been executed properly?"

The blinds of Penthouse 1 have been brought down, covering the large panel windows. Sasuke sat on his swivel-chair, sipping his favorite Peruvian coffee. It was brewed the same was Sakura did, but it was passable.

"You have nothing to worry about, dearest Sasuke-kun. Everything is happening according to plan." an electronic voice rang from his laptop. "Though I must admit, I am intrigued about this little rumor reaching my ears. Do tell me Sasuke-kun, who is this lady in pink?"

Sasuke massaged his temples. Of course the rumors have reached that far. It doesn't matter. He knew it will only be a matter of time before Sakura gets involved. He didn't plan on it but fate seemed to have bought them together and if she's gonna be involved, it would be best of he kept her beside him at all times. He looked at the shadowy silhoutte on his laptop screen. "Don't worry, we are talking in a military-grade communication software so none of the things you'll tell me can reach the gossip magazines. But I guess you already knew that since Sharingan is the one who developed and manufactured this amazing encryption software. So, who is she?"

"What I do beyond our agreement is none of your business." Sasuke simply answered. "But lay a single hand on her and I will withdraw all the shares I have contributed as a part of our plan and your little ploy will be nothing more than child's play to Konoha Military."

The electronic voice chuckled and the screen went blank. With a press of a button on Sasuke's laptop, the blinds shot up and the light entered Penthouse 5. He sighed as he placed his reading glasses down and downed the rest of his coffee. It won't be long before Sakura comes in for her shift so he decides to send her a text.

 **S. Uchiha: Do not be late.**

It was a simple reminder but to Sasuke it was a plight to make sure that she'll be with him as soon as possible. The demons to whom he had sold his soul to in the name of revenge has had a whiff of her scent and God help him protect her.

 **S. Haruno: Already at Cafe E'Toile with a friend. I won't be late.**

 **S. Haruno: Cafe d'Etoile, sorr... I really need to turn my autocorrect on."**

Friend? What friend? A surge of possessiveness shot through like Sasuke like an arrow to the chest. Was it a lady friend or a guy friend? Does she have any other friends besides Naruto that he should worry about? Why was she on the cafe with this friend?

 **S. Uchiha: I'll come get you.**

His reply was hasty and he didn't even think about it before typing. It felt right but incredibly embarrassing at the same time. As he waited for her reply, he stood from his chair and walked over to one of the panel windows, trying to spot the cafe from the height of his office.

 _"I am an idiot"_ he thought to himself. Sakura was - is one of his precious people. When they were children, he always found her to be the sourve of his happiness. No matter how bad his day had been, her warm brught smile will always be his most cherished treasure. She was the one who gave him reason not to be like the monster who killed his parents.

 _"Sasuke! Sasuke!"_

 _It was dark and all he could hear was the loud sounds coming from outside the car. His head hurt and someone wet was dripping down his nose._

 _"Sasuke! Sweetheart, look at me. Oh God, please no... NO!"_

 _Mebuki obaa-san's voice rang in his ears. That's right, they were supposed to visit Usako-chan after their trip from the mountain house. What was she doing outside the car? He slowly opens his eyes and he was blinded by bright lights._

 _"Sasuke SASUKE! OH THANK GOODNESS! HE'S ALRIGHT!"_

 _"Mebuki...obaa...san..." He muttered before everything became dark again. When he woke up, he was in a white room, his big brother was sitting beside his bed._

 _"Nii-san?" He tried to say, but his voice only came out as a whisper. Everything in his small body hurt and he didn't know what was happening. "Nii-san?" He tried to say again. This time, Itachi looked up, his eyes swollen and red. His hair was disheveled and his clothes look like a mess. He rushed up to his little brother and gave him a tight hug._ _"Thank goodness, you're awake!" He said, his voice breaking into sobs. Sasuke still doesn't understand what was happening. He felt the relief in hid brother's hug and somehow, something inside him felt as if he was now safe._

 _"Nii-san, where is okaa-san and otou-san? We need to go to Usako-chan. I promised to see her."_

 _Itachi let go of his hug and looled straight into Sasuke's eyes. "Otou-san and Okaa-san went to where Ume obaa-san went. They..." Itachi sobbed, "They are no longer coming back." Itachi higged his brother again, afraid the the image of his beloved Sasuke was just a delusion. He cried unto his little brother's small frame and the little boy recalled everything that happened._

 _They were driving down the mountain. His mother was still wearing the light blue yukata she always loved to wear. She was smiling and telling him about the dango they will make for Itachi nii-san when they get home. His father, although driving the car, smiled silently as he listened to his youngest son animatedly tall about tomato flavoured dango. Suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from below the car and they swivelled. His father tried take control of the swivelling car but the brakes didn't seem to work. He felt his mother envelope him within her arms like a baby. She then started whispering about how they'll visit Usako-chan and they will play by the big sakura tree again. Sasuke didn't know what was happening but upon hearing about Usako-chan, he felt calmer._ _Yes, there was nothing to fear. The road was just slippery. Otou-san will drive down the mountain, Okaa-san will make dango and onigiri, and Usako-chan will eat his tomato flavoured dango._

 _That was until he felt the road disappear from under the car. Until he felt a painful, blunt force all over his body. Until everything went black and the last thing he heard was his mother's scream._

 _Years past and he had just came back from school. He was supposed to take his piano lessons that day but an unexpected visit from his grandfather, Uchiha Madara, changed his schedule. He was early that day and he was looking forward to surprising his brother. However it was him who was surprised. Hushed voices were coming from his father's office. There were 4 voices all in all. Three he recognized, one he did not._

 _"I must warn you though, this information is highly classified." He recognized the voice as his older cousin Obito. The unknown voice only gave grunts of agreement as his cousin continued talking._

 _"If what you say is true then we have to bring this to court! My father, my mother... They deserve justice!" Itachi's voice rang._

 _Justice? Why would they need justice? They died in a car crash because of a freak car malfunction. He was there. He knew what happened._

 _"He doesn't work like that, Itachi. That bastard son-of-a-bitch leaves no traces and his power hungry, prejudiced cock will stop at nothing to stop the Uchiha from taking what's rightfully ours."_

 _"With all due respect, Madara-sama -"_

 _"Know your place, Hatake. While I appreciate your help in discovering this and for letting us know, you were still his underling before. Who's to say you're not spying for him now? He killed my son and my daughter-in-law. He jacked up their car and mercilessly involved my youngest nephew!"_

 _Sasuke's eyes grew wide and he fell on his knees. His parents were killed. He was supposed to be killed along with them. Someone was after their lives and he got away with it. His fall alerted the people in the study._

 _"Sasuke...? You're...you're home already?" His brother said, acting too casual._

 _"They were murdered.." Sasuke muttered. "Otou-san and Okaa-san... They were murdered..." He kept muttering._

 _It took him several days passed before he was able to understand and accept the news. Sasuke didn't tell anybody but of course, his Usako-chan noticed. It was his piano class break when she came by with a basket of treats from her family's restaurant. Her father packed a truckload of bonito flake onigiri and cherry tomato salad._

 _"Neh, Sasuke-kun, are you ok? You've been all down in the dumps since last week." She said. Her pink hair was decorated with a flower crown of magenta cosmos. She looked like a Spring princess in her dainty flower crown and flowy white dress. "I'm just remembering my parents. No need to worry, Sakura." He said. He tried to smile back and continued to fiddle with the keys of the Uchiha grand piano. "I miss them too," she said as she pressed the F sharp key. Having her beside him was like being in a oasis. She was like this radiant light amongst the darkness in his life._

Sasuke ran his fingers over his hair. _Nothing has changed_ he thought. Even after all those years, after all those changes, she is still his oasis. Sasuke looked at his phone. Seeing that Sakura didn't reply, his instincts kicked in and he grabbed his car keys.

* * *

Sakura's eyes were laughing as she took a sip from her caramel macchiato. Ino had just told her about the Fine Arts professor she's been seeing in one of the schools where she works as a guidance councillor. Considering the the blond was already a psychologist and is currently completing her Masterials in preparation for the PhD, Sakura was happy that her friend knew a life outside psychology. Of course, she's not one to talk. She's basically trapped in a cycle of school, work, and home. Not counting her imaginary relationship with her boss, Sakura has very little time to socialize. She was about to say something back to Ino's twitterpated gushing when a ping on her phone stopped her.

 **S. Uchiha: On my way.**

"Holy shit, my boss is on his way here." Sakura said as she read the text. Ino gave her signature smirk and tried to get a peek from Sakura's phone. "Oh? He's gonna pick you up? Isn't that a bit unusual? I mean, a boss, fetching his secretary? Hmmmmm? Hmmmmmmmmm? Sakura, boo, is there something you're not telling me?"

A very red blush covered Sakura's face. She waved her hands frantically as she awkwardly denied everything. "N-n-nothing! I have n-nothing with my boss!" She said. Ino found it cute. Another ping came from Sakura's phone and a fancy black car parked in front of the cafe.

 **S. Uchiha: I'm waiting.**

"I guess that means you have to go meet lover boy now, huh?" Ino said as Sakura looks out the window. The blond saw this incredibly handsome, and tall man dressed in a black trench coat come out of the Ferrari. He gestured to his wrist as he caught Sakura's eye and in turn, the pinkette nodded. She turned to Ino and smiled awkward. "Yeah. He's gonna fire me if I don't hobble over then now. Sorry, Pig."

"It's okay, hun. Go get him!"

Sakura blew **Ino** a kiss, a shortened version of their secret handshake. Ino reciprocated and they both say their goodbyes. Putting her maroon coat on, Sakura walked over to her boss and smiled. He, however, looked annoyed.

"What took you that long?" Sasule asked.

"I was having a moment with my bestfriend." She replied as she slid into the front seat. "Its been ages since I managed to actually hang out with her."

"I thought Naruto was your bestfriend."

"Can't I have multiple bestfriends? Why are you so interested anyway?"

"Corporate spies can masquerade as anyone."

"Spies." Sakura looked at her boss with a raised eyebrow. "My bestfriend Ino. My sister from another dimension? A corporate spy? Sure boss, nice try. But you might want to read more books in humor before making **another** joke." Sakura chuckled and it was the most beautiful sound Sasuke heard. He couldn't help but smile. His heart warmed as he drove on.

"What's the itenerary for today?" He asked as he took a turn at an intersection. Sakura grabbed her phone and checked the corporate calendar. Surprisingly, today seemed to be one of those laid back days were there wasn't any work to do. She was about to tell Sasuke the good news when Itachi's caller ID shone on the screen.

 ** _"Sakura-chan?"_** Izumi's voice was on the other end.

"Izumi-chan! Hello!"

 _ **"Sakura-chan, I need your help. Are you on your way to the office?**_

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am."

 _ **"Good. Because I want you to help me take a pregnancy test. I'll see you when I get here! Thanks!"**_

Sakura's mouth opened wide, while her hand almost lost its grip over the phone. She looked at Sasuke who had this inquisitive look in his eye. Sakura gingerly placed the phone back into her bag and took a deep breath.

"What did she say?" Sasuke said as he parked the car and turned the engine off. It was unusual for Izumi to call Sakura, let alone using his brother's phone. Something must be up.

"Well," Sakura said, choosing her words carefully, "...depending on what happens next, you might be having a niece or a nephew."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Thanks so much for reading guys! This is a very long chapter, as you might have noticed. I hope my previous readers like this version of Autocorrect better. To me it has a better flow than the previous version. It sorta escalated too quickly and I wanted to take it nice and slow.**

 **Anyways, shoutout to my lovely friend Ombreecha for helping choose an instrument for Sasuke. Don't worry! We'll get a piano-playing Sasuke in the future so hang in there! By the way, make sure to read Ombreecha's fanfics. They are simply awesome and amazing. Let me know if you've read some of her work.**

 **As usual, favorite, review and follow! Let me know what you think!**

 **Lot lots,**

 **C**


	7. Chapter 7: The Overgrown Tomato

**Hello guys! Im back with a new update!**

 **Please enjoy and dont forget to review!**

 **A/N: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.**

* * *

Chapter 7: AutoCorrect

Sakura was fuming. She was mad, she was angry, she was irritated, she was red with rage,and she was so ready to punch the living daylights out of the next person who tells her she needs to prepare for a formal dinner with select celebrities, politicians, and big business names.

"The nerve of him! Telling me what to wear and then telling me I look like a vegetable. Like what?! He may be my damn boss but hell, I know I look decent enough!"

She scooped a big spoonful of cream from the parfait she was eating and shoved it into her mouth. It was a Sunday and she decided to go to the Cafe l'Etoile because the weather was nice and her parents were out of town. So, she packed her laptop, her toxicology book, and took the 1st bus she saw. Initially, she was planning to go to the office and check if there was anything that needs to be done; after all, she wasn't able to finish her workload when Izumi called her for help. When she got to the office, what welcomed her was not what she expected.

" _Oh good. I was just about to give you a call."_

 _Sakura stared into Penthouse 1 and found that she could barely recognize the place. Dresses, gowns, suits, shirts, pants… they were all crowding the room. Sasuke sat on his desk, looking at piece of red satin. He was feeling the fabric and trailed his eyes at Sakura's form. Her clothes didn't help Sasuke. The large Konoha School hoodie over her pants covered her figure. Sakura noticed her boss looking at her and a red blush made her face glow._

" _W-what are you l-looking at, huh?!" Sakura held her bag up to her chest and pointed accusingly at Sasuke._

" _There wasn't much to see. Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm just checking if this dress would suit your skin tone." Sasuke held out the satin dress to Sakura and picked up another dress, this one more on the fuschia side and was made from velvet. He looked at his secretary who took the satin dress from his outstretched hand. He was lying of course. When Sakura wore her business casuals, he would catch himself checking out her tiny waist, her very attractive hips and her sinfully magnetic backside. He especially liked it when she wore leggings because it defines her silhouette more. He would never admit that but, he was sneaky enough to choose the kind of dresses that will accentuate Sakura's figure. To think, little Usako-chan would mold and grow into a stunning woman._

" _What do I do with this?" Sakura asked as she held the satin dress. She placed her backpack down one of the nearby clothes rack and viewed the satin dress in its full length._

" _Try it on." he answered, not bothering to look up from the chiffon dress he was examining._

" _Is the Uchiha Corp into textiles and fashion now?" Sakura teased. Sasuke retaliated by giving her the stink eye. "No, as tempting as the fashion industry is, Uchiha is not interested. Now try that dress on. You have lots more others to try on."._

 _Sakura looked at the dress and then looked back to Sasuke. "Why?"_

 _There was a little voice inside Sakura's mind that tells her, this might be the day her boss asks her out on a date, but another little voice tells her to calm down and not expect much. The satin dress looked pretty with its red lace detailing and it felt so soft in her hands. Sakura looked as Sasuke who seemed disinterested at her, but at the dress instead. It was weird. Suddenly getting her a dress out of the blue is not how Uchiha Sasuke works. She looked at him with suspicious eyes and trailed over the dress once again._

" _Sasuke-sama, I'm not comfortable wearing this without reason." She said with a firm voice._

 _Sasuke sighed. Of course she needs an explanation. He puts the dress he's holding back into a box and takes a periwinkle colored envelope from on of his desk drawers. He handed it to Sakura who held the envelope like it were some delicate artifact. The envelope paper looked very expensive and it had a pearl-like sheen; along with the velvet-lined black print, Sakura realized that it was the invitation to the Winter Gala Naruto was inviting her to. The same gala Sasuke proclaimed to take her as his 'companion.'_

 _ **You are cordially invited to the Annual Hokage Winter's Gala**_

 _ **As one of the esteemed friends of the Namikaze-Uzumaki Family, we invite you, Uchiha Sasuke, to partake in the Annual Winter's Gala at the Hokage Manor this coming December 20, 2018.**_

 _ **You may bring a guest if you wish but please remember to RSVP so that they will also be included on the list.**_

 _ **The First Family of Konohagakure is looking forward to your attendance.**_

 _ **Namikaze Minato  
Yondaime Hokage**_

 _Sakura ran her hands over the velvet lined print. It made such a lovely contrast over the pearly periwinkle paper that she wanted to keep reading and reading the invitation. Under her tutelage with Tsunade, Sakura had no problems meeting with high profile people. When her mentor, a descendant of Senju Hashirama - one of the two founding fathers of Konohagakure, took her in, one of the things she cannot avoid was to attend high society functions and galas. She doesn't socialize much though. Being the darling of the Medical community, many of the giants in medicine have been anticipating Sakura's graduation. After achieving her Medical Technologist license, she has received multiple employment offers but turned them down because she would prefer to study and complete her doctorate. Despite all the job offers in the medical field, the one advice her mentor told her was to never accept them yet - that's how she ended up being the secretary of her childhood friend and imaginary internet boyfriend. A waste of talent, maybe but Sakura's goal was to work under Tsunade and for the Senju Group so it made sense for her not to accept any of the company's rivals in the medical field. It was weird, however, that her mentor suggested she take this job for Uchiha Corp._

" _Go and change in the back. Wear these next, the blue one after the maroon one." Sasuke said, handing her 2 more dresses to try. One of the dresses was an a-line full length tulle gown of ombre white and blue with a black suede belt. The other was another full length trumpet gown of airy chiffon in maroon red. They both looked expensive and Sakura didn't have the guts to wear them. She sighed and followed what her boss said and began to change. She walked out wearing the blue ombre dress but Sasuke swiped his hand, reminding Sakura of the swipe left motion in Tinder. Rolling her eyes, she quickly changed into the maroon chiffon dress. When she saw herself in the mirror, her eyes widened. The maroon color of the delicate fabric made her skin look like milk. The darkness of the maroon was just right that it made her hair look like pale pink strands of silk and her eyes look greener than the summer leaves. Hoping it will impress Sasuke, she strode out of the back room in a very elegant fashion._

 _Sasuke was thinking about the dresses Hitachiin Fashions gracefully provided and how most of them had very revealing cuts and form-fitting designs. He had to sort out the ones that didn't reveal too much but still gave him enough to look at. He will never ever admit it but he likes Sakura's figure. He found it very appealing and in a way, wanted to brag about it and show her around. Tell the world that this attractive young woman was his 'date' and not someone else's. He was imagining what she would look like in the scarlet cheongsam dress he was currently holding and how the silk will hug her curvy frame but all logic left his mind when she came walking out of the back room in the trumpet chiffon dress. It accentuated her tiny waist, her swaying hips, and to his most secretive delights, her sumptuous backside._

" _Well? How does it look?" she was looking down, her face flushed with a color resembling his favorite vegetafruit. She was cute and Sasuke couldn't stop himself._

" _You look like an overgrown tomato" he blurted out without thinking. The thoughts of his first love looking like his favorite fruit made his brain short-circuit and very thing just exploded. The cuteness in Sakura face was replaced with embarrassment and anger. "I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A VEGETABLE!" she said as she fumed into the back room and quickly changed into her original outfit. She furiously slammed up her hoodie and stormed out of the office._

 _Sasuke stood in the middle of the room, holding the scarlet cheongsam. He was so unsure of what happened but he had to admit, a flustered and angry Sakura was a cute Sakura._

"I LOOK PRETTY IN THAT MAROON CHIFFON DRESS! I DID NOT LOOK LIKE AN OVERGROWN TOMATO!" she screams internally as she spoons more of the parfait in her mouth. The nerve of that Uchiha to tell her what she can and cannot wear. Underneath her college jacket's hood, Sakura's cheeks fumed red and bulged like a chipmunk's as she continued to scoop more and more of the cold and creamy dessert into her face. She didn't mind acting like herself. Her hood should hide her hair color.

"He can go to that stupid gala by himself. I don't care." she said with her mouth full of ice cream, with tiny droplets falling on her toxicology book.

"Who can go to the stupid gala by himself?"

Sakura turned around as a chuckling voice startled her. Itachi stood beside her, looking dapper even in the casual college sweater and sweatpants combo. He held a takeout bag with the cafe's signature blue straw peeking out and the morning newspaper. The medical prodigy had to gulp down hard, embarrassed that one of her bosses found her in such an awkward position. Unfortunately, the ice cream gave her a painful brain freeze and her initial reaction was priceless and Itachi found it endearing.

"Mouuuu…" Sakura murmured as she held her head. She hates brain freeze. In her opinion, it's an irritating phenomenon that prohibits her from eating ice cream in the speed she wants. She hears her boss chuckle again.

"What did my foolish little brother do for you to binge eat ice cream and ruin that elegant parfait?" he asked, taking the empty seat across Sakura. She pouts in response, hesitant to speak about her personal displeasure over Sasuke's actions. However, memories of Itachi being the big brother figure in her life washed over her as she looked at him. His eyes were soft and understanding, his smile was gentle and endearing… it was like one of those days when she would cry because Sasuke was bullying her.

"You're welcome to tell me anything, you know." he says, and Sakura was overcome by nostalgia. She sighs and smiles gently. "Am not gonna get fired, am I?" she asks. Itachi responds with a hearty chuckle. "Depends." he joked. "What did Sasuke do?"

"He called me anovergrowntomato." Sakura whispered, her face as red as a literal tomato. Itachi couldn't believe his ears.

"He called you a what?" he asked.

"An...overgrown...tomato."

Itachi guffawed loudly, catching the attention of the cafe's patron. "He called you an overgrown tomato?! That IDIOT!" He continued to bellow in laughter until his phone rings. Still laughing off the remnants of Sasuke's idiocy, Itachi excused himself and answered the phone. Now alone at the table, Sakura's attention was caught by the headline of the newspaper Itachi was carrying. By memory, she remembers Itachi's fondness of newspapers and print media. She didn't imagine his fondness to have remained even with the existence of high-tech gadgets. The headline was, however, was alarming enough to warrant her full attention.

 **Otogakure's forces move towards Yugakure**

Yes,the civil war in Otogakure. Konohagakure is the strongest military force in the eastern seaboard thanks to the joint efforts of the Uzumaki, the Senju, and the Uchiha. The Uzumaki family, wielder of the Kurama Enterprise is well known for a martial art so secret and powerful that only members of their family knew the technique. They own three-quarters of the private military training facilities in Konoha and dominated the remaining quarter of the government-owned facilities, teaching an altered version of the Kyuubi - the Uzumaki secret technique. The Senju Group owns the medical franchise of the country, creating medical breakthroughs not only in the beneficial life-saving aspect of medicine but also in biochemical weaponry. They are most known for the regenerating foam known as Katsuyu, developed to close open wounds through rapid cell development by altering the protein component of the open wound. The Uchiha Corp in turn, owns the Sharingan, the pioneer in war technology, specializing in strategy hardware and software development, mass producing high-tech weaponry, and innovating and developing new weapons.

Sakura wonders how the Uchiha Corp is handling the situation. Sharingan is well sought after by the government of Otogakure to supply their weapons but she knows that Sasuke has received communication from the Sharingan base in Ame that they cannot, in any way, distribute weapons for Oto. The Hokage has forbidden the participation of any Konoha-based company in the war, proclaiming the Land of Fire capital as neutral territory. However, with the Otogakure aggression moving closer to Konoha, its only a matter of time before something happens.

"Im sorry about that. My wife called reminding me about the weekly dinner with the Hokage. She said you should come too." Itachi came back, pocketing his phone. He still looks like he's been laughing as he settled back down his seat.

"Weekly dinner with the Hokage?" Sakura asked. She knew Sasuke and Naruto were best buds but she didn't know they had weekly dinners.

 _Just how high-profile is the Uchiha now? Tsunade-shishou is related to Uzumaki Kushina but she doesn't go to weekly dinners. Then again, she's often overseas or too busy._

Itachi nodded to answer Sakura's question. He takes out the mocha frappuccino from his takeout bag and began sipping the contents. The cream had already melted half-way but it seems that he didn't mind. "So, what do you say? Wanna come? Izumi will be thrilled to have you. She and Kushina-san are the only women there when Naruto's girlfriend doesn't join in."

Sakura pondered the idea. She has been looking forward to meet Izumi so she can ask about the pregnancy test. She wanted to conduct the test on Izumi herself but the lady declined reasoning that she wants to be the only one to know first and she'd announce the result later. Sakura guesses she'd know at the dinner with the Hokage. She smiled at Itachi and nodded.

"Of course, Itachi-sama. I'd love to. But I don't have anything to wear."

Itachi's eyes smiled. "I'm sure we'll find something among the piles of clothes Sasuke has."

* * *

Snow fell like flower petals when a sleek black car pulled over Sakura's home. Wearing his black sweater over a gray button down shirt, Sasuke went out of his car and leaned over to the side. _'They haven't moved, huh?'_ He thought as he glanced at the humble Haruno residence. He inhaled and then exhaled in very exaggerated fashion. As a child, he was never allowed to sleep over the cozy Haruno home for security reasons. He looks at the house's shell white walls with creeping its eden rose vines. They were all but stalks and stems in the winter but he remembers their beautiful pink flowers and how Sakura loved them. He looks at the old swing attached to the giant arakashi tree in the front yard and recalled the times he would swing Sakura under the tree's shade and how her long pink hair would dance along with the swaying. Suddenly he remembers the old park they used to play in and the ancient sakura tree.

 _"Neh, Sasuke-kun! Let's make a promise!"_

 _It was Sakura's birthday and they were having a picnic underneath the ancient sakura tree in the park near her house._

 _"A promise?" he asked, his hands tucked inside his shorts pockets. Sakura nodded. She had just turned 11 that day and Sasuke can already see how beautiful she is with her long silky pink hair. He caresses the box he has hidden inside his pocket. He was planning to give her a bracelet for her birthday but he hasn't had the chance. This might be it._

 _"Alright then. Close your eyes, hold out your arms, and lets make a promise."_

 _Doing as she were told, Sakura closed her eyes and held out her arms in Sasuke's direction. She felt him shuffle a bit and suddenly something was being tied around her arm. She tried to open her eyes but Sasuke stopped her._

 _"Ah! Don't open them yet." he said before holding her hand. "I promise to always be here to protect you no matter what." he said. "Now you."_

 _Sakura tightened her grip on his hand "I promise," she began, "to always support you and be here for you, no matter what." She then opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen. It was a silver chain with a lone cherry blossom charm made of rose quartz. "Its beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed, hugging Sasuke._

 _"I wanted the one made of pink diamonds but Itachi nii-san won't let me." Sasuke smirks. He was serious though. He really wanted to get the one made of pink diamonds._

 _"I wouldn't accept it. I'm just 11. I have no use for pink diamonds. Maybe when I turn 18!" she joked back, believing he was making his rich kid jokes again._

 _Sasuke looks at the direction of the ancient tree. "I'll keep my promise no matter what."_

His thoughts were suddenly broken when phone pings and he opens a texts from Sakura.

 **S. Haruno: Are we late?**

 **S. Uchiha: We will be late if you don't hurry up.**

A vein popped in his head. He understands why Izumi would want Sakura to come along but why was he the one picking her up? Can't they just get one of their drivers to to drive her to Hokage Manor? As unpleasant as having a man in close to Sakura was, he wasn't really in the mood to be nice to her. After all, her cute anger that morning was still insubordination to the management even if it were in a personal level of interaction. He swears Sakura will be the death of him.

Sasuke glanced at the timestamp on his phone. 6:30pm Dinner usually started at 8pm but Sakura's house was on the southwestern end of the city, much closer to the suburbs than the bustling noise of the the city heart. The Hokage Manor, officially known as the Hi no Ki or Fire Tree House, it has been the official residence of the appointed Hokage. It was in the eastern side of the city, facing the direction of the sun like some mystic symbolism from the time of the Shodaime Hokage. Sasuke wasn't anyone to complain about the mysticism of the Manor. The Uchiha Ancestral House was located in the far northeastern side of Hi no Kuni, in the edge of the Konohagakure. It was more of an old traditional Japanese castle but every Uchiha insisted in calling it a house. It has been said that it was built there because it was the omote-kimon of Konohagakure. He scoffs - only the Head Uchiha Family can reside in the castle; in fact, the castle was his childhood home but he has long since moved out, leaving Itachi, Izumi, and a truckload of maids to live on the house.

Sasuke's phone pings again and his heart skips a beat.

 **S. Haruno: Im almost done.**

 **S. Haruno: Look, I turned my autocorrect on**

 **S. Uchiha: Just hurry up.**

Sasuke massaged his temples. For an over-achieving academic, it was odd that Sakura needed autocorrect to make sure her words are properly spelled while texting. It does make sense, however, since she seems to prefer using shortcuts on her texts. She can type just fine when making reports but with texting? She's very much hopeless. Sasuke observed the moving shadow inside the house until it stepped out of view and the door opened and his eyes feasted on the sight of his secretary. She wore the white long sleeved turtleneck dress she and Itachi found amongst the littered clothes in Penthouse 1. It was short, reaching only a little bit below her thighs so she paired it with her signature thermal leggings. The black belt of the dress accentuated her small waist and the leggings complimented her shapely legs. It was a simple get-up put with her messy chignon hairstyle and the light makeup she wore, but she looked stunning. Securing the gold chain of her small black shoulder bag, she smiled at him.

"Ready." she said. "And for the record, I made sure I wouldn't look like an overgrown cauliflower."

"Took you long enough." he replied with a smirk. "And no, you don't look like a cauliflower."

Sakura pouts. The glossy pink of her lips tempted Sasuke to wet his own but he managed to stop himself. Trying to hide the blush from the cold, he quickly moved and opened the front seat door. Sakura steps in, her leather hand gloves brushing his cold ungloved hands. He noticed the redness of her cheeks but he simply dismissed them and blamed the cold. She smelled of strawberries and champagne and Sasuke simply couldn't stop himself anymore.

"You smell nice." he murmured, making the blush on Sakura's cheeks go redder ten-fold.

"T-thank you!" she squeaked as she hid her face with her purse. Sasuke was acting weird all of a sudden and she doesn't understand why. Almost about month ago, he had been this cold man with nothing but bitter sighs but now he's all clingy and weird. He still manages to be cold at times and still makes insulting remarks but there was a change with how he treats her. She doesn't understand. Were the rumors getting to him? Was he having some psychological reaction to the romance the media faked for them? Sakura hopes not. She hopes that this was something she can call a recognition of the childhood that they had together or even perhaps love. Sasuke was her first love. She never got the chance to tell him, even before he left; but he was her first love and still is. She watches as he walked towards the driver's seat. "Buckle up." he says, before driving off.

The car was silent all throughout the trip. Sakura was curled into a ball of blushes as she looked outside the night sky. The ride has already last about an hour long and she could feel her eyes droop as the orange street lights seemed to lull her to sleep. Her head bobbed as she tried to stop herself from dozing off. Sasuke noticed and when they came across as red light, he grabbed a dark blue travel pillow from the back.

"Here. Go and take a quick nap." he said, handing Sakura the pillow. "We still have a good 30 minutes left before we arrive. Careful not to drool on my travel pillow."

Sakura glared at him, but gratefully accepted the pillow and placed it on her shoulders and nape. Within a few minutes, she was out like a light. Sasuke tried his best not to be distracted by her gentle rhythmic breathing. Her long eyelashes were like curtains protecting her closed eyes and Sasuke wonders if they will brush his face should he dare try to get close enough to almost kiss her. He shakes his head from the thought. Onyx eyes straight on the road, he focuses instead on the asphalt road before seeing the white gates of the Hokage Manor.

"ID?" The guard asked. He shows the red metal card Naruto had given him when they were in college and places his thumb on the checkpoint fingerprint scanner. The red card was a special pass given to him and his brother so that they can easily come visit without the hassle of going through the standard checkpoint. Of course, the red card has the Sharingan patent.

The guard scanned the chip hidden in the card and cross-referenced it with the thumbprint from scanner. "You're good but how about her?" the guard asked, pointing at the sleeping Sakura. Not wanting to go through the hassle of explaining, he raised his eyebrow and glared at the guard.

"I'm not feeling my sleeping girlfriend up for you. I can voucher for her." Sasuke said. Calling Sakura his girlfriend is a bit too much but it felt natural. He hopes she was still asleep. The guard's eyes, on the other hand, widened in the realization. He was talking to the Uchiha Sasuke and he had just confirmed his relationship status with the infamous pink haired girl who was currently sleeping inside his ferrari like it was the most normal thing to do! He cannot see her face but he wished he did. "I-I-I am sorry sir! P-p-please forgive m-my imprudence!" The guard was freaking out because he probably had just found out legitimate information on Konoha's hottest trending couple.

Sasuke sensed the guard's sudden change in demeanor and his eyes sharpened and his voice took a turn to the deep, husky and dangerous. "I'll have a huge sum of money sent to you if you keep quiet about my relationship status." he simply said. "If you don't, better find yourself a good lawyer." He waited for the guard to nod before driving off towards the front doors of the manor.

The manor was largely patterned of the castle of Versailles in the western side of the world. Originally built to look like the traditional Japanese castle, it was destroyed in the 2nd Eastern Wars and was later rebuilt into its western theme. In the summer, the manor's front courtyard would be covered with blooming red and yellow rose bushes, planted to mimic flames while fire trees blossomed with their scarlet flowers. In the winter, fairy lights were carefully designed to decorate the bare branches of the bushes and trees making it look like some snow covered fairyland. To most people, it would have looked stunning but for Sasuke, it was too bright for his eyes. After the drive past the courtyard, he pulled over the manor's front door and the butler approached them. Not wanting to embarrass Sakura, he softly taps her cheek, coaxing her to wake up. "Sakura." he said, careful not to be too loud. She stirs ever so slightly.

 _"Sasuke-kun"_ she mutters.

Sasuke's eyes widened. She remembers him. She's dreaming about him. Sakura, his Usako-chan remembers him. He can feel his heart beat race as the sound of her voice echoed inside his head.

"Y-yes Sakura. It's me. Wake up." He says. He was trying his best to calm down and then Sakura opens her eyes.

"Oh my goodness!" She squeals. "Im so sorry Sasuke-sama!" Sakura tried to check the travel pillow for drool marks and when she found none, she felt relieved. She then checks her makeup and her hair and found nothing was out of place, aside from the smudged lip gloss, nothing she can't fix. She dabs her lips by doing a kissing motion and then smiles at Sasuke who was scowling.

 _"She's back to normal"_ Sasuke's heart dropped. Perhaps he was mistaken. He turns to the butler waiting by the manor doors and the smart looking man moved quickly, opening Sakura's door. With her gloved hand, she takes the middle-aged man's outstretched hand to support herself out of the car. Sasuke took no time leaving his seat and both of them were directed into the manor.


End file.
